Principals and Mentors
by AlexJoSkyler
Summary: Donnie is staying at Pride's for five days while his parents are out of town. After getting in trouble at school though his weekend isn't looking so bright anymore. Getting a chance to take care of it without Pride or his parents being any the wiser, Donnie takes it. What happens next is just a snowball of lies in motion. Warning: CP of a teenager
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: To busygirl, I hope you like it. And to everybody else who love Donnie and Chris and Pride. I did take some creative freedom with Delilah's though so please don't rant about that. Over all I know this chapter is pretty short and maybe not the best, but as always, bear with me, it will get better.**

 **For any new readers: Hi and welcome. This story is about Donovan "Donnie" Williams whom Pride considers a son, just like Chris and Donnie's older brother Nathan "Nate". James and Katherine are the boys' parents that are for the sake of this story out of town. Tony is Gibbs's real teenage son. Bullied-the other side of the window is set before this one, but it isn't necessary to read that one first.**

 **I don't own any of the characters you may recognize, nor do I make money writing this.**

 **Warning: this story may contain CP of a teenager in later chapters. The author doesn't stand behind that sort of thing in real life and if that isn't your thing, you can still read the story, just skip that moment/chapter. I'll be sure to warn you later on.**

 **Principals and Mentors chapter 1**

"Hi Buddy, I already started to wonder if you forgot about me picking you up." Chris greeted Donnie.

"No Chris. Sorry, one of my teachers wanted a word."

"You aren't starting this long weekend of with trouble I hope?!" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow as he started the car and pulled out of the school parking lot.

"No Chris, Mrs. Kelly just asked me if I was interested in joining the drama club, seems that they are one person short."

"Oh okay, did you say no?"

"Yeah, not really my style."

"It could have been great."

"And you would never have let me hear the end of it. Ever." Donnie pointed out.

"I hope you didn't say no for fear of me teasing you." Chris said suddenly sounding serious.

"No, it's fine Chris, it's not something I'm interested in doing."

"I hope you aren't saying that just to make me happy."

"I'm not."

"Good." Chris parked outside the front door to the office and Donnie could already see King through the open door looking up from what he was doing at the desk. The moment he saw Donnie a smile spread out on his face and Donnie found himself smiling back despite the growing feeling of uneasiness. He had taken care of the problem, there was no way his principal would ever mention it to his parents, or worse; King. They knew each other, Donnie knew that much, but how good was the question he'd found himself mulling over ever since the first lie had left his lips. He had been determined and still was, to make sure that King never was the wiser. It went against everything that had been imprinted into his brain since he was six years old, but this one time he wasn't going to destroy the five days he had with King and Chris.

 _-Flashback-_

" _It's a fine mess you've found yourself in, son."_

" _I know sir."_

" _I'll have to call in your parents Donovan."_

" _They aren't home. One of our neighbours had a five-day trip to Paris planned, but the husband broke his leg and will need surgery, so they gave my parents an opportunity to go instead." Donnie could see that the Principal wasn't sure if he believed him. "It's the truth sir. They'll be gone until Tuesday."_

" _Why didn't your parents notify us?"_

" _They had to leave just a few hours after getting the proposal, so they probably forgot about it."_

" _Who are you staying with? Your neighbours?" Donnie hesitated just a second. He really didn't want to mess up this weekend with King if he had a choice._

" _Yes sir. Nate is deployed so there wasn't much of a choice."_

" _Do you know their phone number?"_

" _I don't have it on me, sir." That was the truth._

" _Okay. This once, and hear me well Donovan, this is the only time I'll send a note home with you. I want it signed by your parents the day after they get back from their trip. If I don't have the note back in my hands by Thursday 8 o'clock I'll call your Dad. Understood?"_

" _Yes sir." Donnie couldn't believe his luck. His parents would be none the wiser and neither would King. He'd just sign the note himself. It was the perfect plan._

 _-Flashback ending-_

Or at least he had thought so until he now realised it was going to be four long days of lying to King, one of the growing list of experts on when he wasn't entirely truthful.

"Are you coming?" Chris asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Yes Chris." Chris still looked at him weirdly but finally nodded.

"Okay then, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Do you really have the night off?"

"Yeah kiddo, so pick something, within limits, to do."

"Why do we need limits?" Donnie asked with a big smile. "I don't need any limits."

"Because it's you"

"Are you going to stand out there all day?" King questioned from inside sounding mildly impatient.

"Chris!"

"Problems?"

Doing a combination of glaring and pouting Donnie answered: "You are mean!"

"Hey, remember that this is my only evening off this week and I choose to spend it with you."

"Thanks Chris." Donnie leaned closer and wrapped his arms around Chris.

"No problem Trouble Junior."

"Will you ever let that go?"

"Not if I know Chris no he won't." King answered for him. "Is there a hug for me too?"

"Maybe."

"How was school, Kiddo?" King asked as he reached out and drew Donnie into a tight hug.

"Hey! You can't just steal him from me!" Chris protested.

"Sorry Chris, but you know who his favourite is."

"Chris." Donnie teased, knowing full well the reaction he was going to get.

"Bad boy!" King grumbled playfully.

"Good Trouble Junior." Chris smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, will I get an answer to my question?"

"What question?"

"How school went?" Donnie froze momentarily and wondered if there was any chance King knew. "Your Dad called and said he forgot to tell the school they were going away and that they could call me if anything happened."

"Like Trouble Junior would get into trouble at school while staying with you." Chris commented. "With you being friends with principal Matthews Donnie has hawk eyes on him at school."

"Yeah, I guess you are right. Haven't heard from him for months though so I don't think he knows about Donnie and us."

"He doesn't?"

"He doesn't?" Donnie echoed.

"You sound relieved Trouble Junior, are you sure there isn't something going on?"

"Wouldn't you be if you were in my shoes?!"

"Yeah he would be" King chuckled. "I need to call him one of these days though. He used to come by the bar often enough, but since all his kids became teenagers I'm sure he has his hands full at the evenings, just like we do with this one" King reached out and ruffled Donnie's hair fondly. "Don't worry though, I'll tell him to go easy on you unless you deserve it."

"Thanks."

"Are you feeling alright Buddy? You seem a bit off"

"I'm fine, just hungry." Donnie lied easily, almost surprising himself at how easy it was.

"Let's go to the kitchen then and I'll make you something to eat, does that sound good to you?"

"I've been here long enough to find supplies for a couple of sandwiches King.

"Still, I want to make you something." Donnie felt even guiltier than before at that. King tried his hardest to make him feel at home while all Donnie did was lie and cause trouble.

"I have a better idea, why don't we head over to Delilah's? We all could do with a break and Donnie hasn't been there for months."

"Sounds good to me, what do you think Kiddo, do you mind?"

"No, that sounds good."

"Well then, let's get going."

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"This place is even cooler than I remembered" Donnie exclaimed awed as the trio stepped through the doors to King's bar and restaurant; Delilah's.

"Thank you, Buddy." They found a table and King waived over a waitress. Once they all had placed their orders King started out the conversation:

"Speaking of school earlier, how are you doing overall?"

"You mean grades?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I guess. I haven't kept close tabs on them, but they should be A's and B's at least."

"And history with Mr. Trevor?"

"A C, it will take time to raise it."

"Are you doing your best?"

"Yes sir."

"And behaviour-wise, anything I should be worried about?"

"No sir." He wasn't about to let what happened today become a habit, that was for sure. He was done with bad habits for the rest of his life. The first few weeks after Tony had left for Washington hadn't exactly gone smoothly and to make it worse, King had been the one who had caught him in action.

"Good. Have you talked to Tony lately?"

"Not for a week at least."

"So it was Sean you were arguing with yesterday?" King asked knowingly.

"Yeah, we aren't really agreeing lately." Donnie admitted quietly.

"You know I still haven't met him?!"

"At this rate you won't." When the words registered in Donnie's brain along with the tone he had used, he quickly apologized: "Sorry, we just don't get along right now."

"Anything we can do to help?"

"Thanks, but no. What are you looking at, Chris?" Donnie wondered, seeing Chris stare at something across the room. Ignoring Donnie's question, Chris asked:

"Speaking of the devil, isn't that principal Matthews?!"

 **A/N: Thankyou for reading, and please let me know what your think about the story so far…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Principals and Mentors chapter 2**

 **A/N: Thankyou for the wonderful reviews, I did change the principal's name as realized I had a Matthew already in one of my other stories. For fun, where do you think the family has roots based on their names? Not the C-twins though, their names aren't following traditions.**

"Collin! Hey! Long time no seen!" King greeted happily across the room.

"King?! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?!" Principal Loughead asked meeting King halfway across the room.

"Just catching up with two of my kids, old friend. I believe you know both of them by now." King answered, making a sweeping gesture towards the table where Donnie tried to make himself unrecognizable, by turning to the side.

"Chris yeah, who is the other one? New kid of yours?"

"And here I thought you knew your students, principal Loughead" King teased "Why don't you and the family join us and you'll find out."

"A student?! You want me to eat my precious dinner with a student?!"

"Hate to break it to you, but you already are. Last time I checked three of your kids go to New Orleans Middle School where you are the principal."

"I'll check with Willa, but I can't say that I'm not curious."

"I'll wait right here." Donnie prayed that the Principals wife would say no to the offer, otherwise he was toast. It took a very long moment and when the principal returned with his wife and two kids, Donnie sank down into the stool.

"Something wrong?"

"He's my principal!"

"You've got a problem with that?"

"Chris!" they didn't get any further as the principal along with his family and King came to stand in front of their table. Chris stood up and greeted everybody warmly. Once he was done, all eyes turned to Donnie who could feel King's pointed look on him. Standing up on shaking legs, Donnie turned in time to see his principals shocked face.

"Donovan Williams?!"

"Hi Principal Loughead."

"King?!"

"Donnie here is somebody I took under my wings a couple of month ago. You probably remember me doing the same with his brother Nate."

"Yeah I do, I just didn't know about Donnie."

"Didn't expect you to do old friend. Donnie, this is Logan and Cassidy Loughead, you've probably seen them in school."

"Hi Donnie" Both teens greeted. Seeing the young boy looking nervous and her husband shocked, Willa took a step forward.

"Hello Donovan, I don't believe we've met before, I'm Willamina Loughead."

"Donovan Williams, nice to meet you ma'am."

"Nice to meet you too Donovan." Turning towards her husband, Mrs. Loughead proposed: "Why don't we sit down, Honey." Donnie got Logan on his right side and Chris on his right side. King sat down at the end of the table, meaning Mrs. Loughead got his original seat. Ann of course wanted to sit across from her brother, so that left Principal Loughead and the chair across from him. Donnie tried to hide the nervousness he felt when Principal Loughead sat down across from him. He'd always had enormous respect for their Principal. It wasn't just that the man was intimidating, and Donnie had heard some stories from Nate that had him shuddering at the thought of ever making their Principal so cross with him. No, the respect was mostly from the fact that the Principal never had given up on Nate enough to expel him even though the rest of the gang had been, one after the other.

"What are you doing on your free time Donnie?" Principal Loughead suddenly asked after receiving a pointed look from his wife.

"Huh? Sorry Principal Loughead, I was lost in thoughts, what did you ask me?"

"What you like doing with your spare time, son."

"Play sports, nothing much more than that. Homework eats up a lot of time." Donnie answered warily.

"Tell me about it." Logan agreed. "I've asked Dad at least fifty times if he couldn't make a rule against too much homework, but so far he has refused."

"And how much is too much, Logan?" Mrs. Loughead asked her son knowingly.

"Anything at all." He answered innocently, causing the rest of the table to start laughing.

"Truth to be told Collin, that's not all Donnie does. He spends a lot of his free time helping out in the office these days."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, he's a huge hel..."

"Hey, didn't you hang around Dylan Connors little brother for a while?!" Logan suddenly interrupted the conversation, turning towards Donnie.

"Logan. You do not interrupt people" Principal Loughead scolded his son sternly causing Donnie to cringe even though the stern words weren't meant for him. Logan on the other hand didn't look reprimanded at all. "Apologize, please."

"I'm sorry King, Chris, Ma."

"Good, now what were you saying Dwayne?"

"Just that Donnie is a really huge help around the office."

"It's always good to have something to keep teenage boys occupied." Logan seeing his opportunity repeated his question with an eye roll towards his father.

"Do you know Dylan Connors brother?"

"Sean, yeah, why?"

"I'm friends with Dylan and thought I recognized you."

"I actually think I've seen you too once or twice."

"You both go to the same school and being the Principals kid isn't exactly making you invisible, believe me I've tried." Cassidy stated, sounding annoyed.

"The school is made up of more students than just us, sis."

"I didn't know who you are." Donnie said truthfully.

"You are probably the only one, kid."

"Don't call him a kid! At least not without knowing how old he is, for all you know he could be older than you!"

"How old are you?"

"14. How old are you?"

"16, Squirt over there is 15 "

"Then behave like you are 'Cass the Ass'" Logan spat tired of his sister's attitude.

"Logan Matthews. That was uncalled for."

"Sorry." Logan muttered with a glare at Cass.

"A little more contrite, lad."

"Sorry Cass." Cassidy just nodded.

"Sorry King, Chris." Principal Loughead apologized. "Clearly you can't take the kids out of the house anymore.

"It's fine, I've had teenagers too. Speaking of more teenagers, where is the rest of your bunch?"

"Callie had an extra piano lesson scheduled last minute while Aili and Skye still are as far as I know at least, studying hard at college."

"You can always wish." Once the food was served the grownups changed the subject to work and Donnie relaxed. Sneaking a look at the subdued Logan, Donnie was surprised when he was met with a big grin and a wink.

"Dad's not as bad as he seems, he's more bark than bite." Logan whispered.

"Good to know."

"Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you." Cass suddenly apologized.

"It's okay."

"Dad got on my case earlier, seems like somebody left him in a bad mood at school. I know it's not an excuse, but I don't want you to get the wrong impression." Donnie stared at her with growing uneasiness. Had he really pissed of Principal Loughead so much that the man had been angry hours later?! How the hell hadn't he started informing King then the second he saw Donnie with him?!

"Don't tell me it was you!" Logan whispered when he saw Donnie's face. Donnie gave him a scared look trying to tell him without actually voicing the answer. "That explains a lot."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Cass is being overdramatic." Logan whispered back. At that moment Donnie's phone rang and Donnie excused himself, grimacing slightly at the name on the display. Nate.

"Hi Nate"

"Hi little brother, how's it going with King?"

"Okay."

"Just okay?!"

"You don't have to worry Nate…"

""What's going on Donovan?"

"Nothing important."

"Important enough for you to be on edge."

"Can't you just let me handle this Nate? Please. I really don't want to destroy this weekend with King."

"Trouble at school?"

"Promise to not tell King." Donnie pleaded.

"I won't lie to him Donnie. If he asks I'll tell him, if not I won't. And that is only as long as it isn't anything big. Now spill, I only have a couple of minutes left before I have to head off"

"Not here. We are at Delilah's with Chris and my principal showed up with his family."

"Let's hope he doesn't know then."

"He does." Donnie replied sadly.

"Big trouble?"

"Enough. King won't be happy." Seeing Chris rising from the table and starting to walk towards him, Donnie quickly continued: "Chris is heading my way so I have to go. Stay safe Nate."

"Always Buddy. Bye."

"Who was that?" Chris asked as he joined him."

"Nate."

"Something special?"

"He just called to check in."

"Okay then, let's head back to the table." To Donnie's surprise the rest of the meal passed without anybody bringing up school and once they headed back to the office, King and Chris seemed to be none the wiser about Donnie's trouble at school.

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Hi King, sorry for the late house call, but I have something I need to discuss with you." It was 8pm the same evening and King and Donnie had only 30 minutes earlier said good night to Chris and headed to King's house to turn in for

"Absolutely, come on in." King replied confused.

"Whatever I tell you will have to stay confidential. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course, whatever you need."

"First though, a question; how close are you with Donovan Williams?"

"He's like a son to me. Why?"

"Is his parents really away on vacation right now?"

"Yeah sorry about not telling you. James called earlier but I totally forgot to give you a call on his behalf."

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes. Why? Did something happen at school?"

"I gave him a note."

"That means I'll find out anyhow, weird that he didn't give it to me."

"It's addressed to his parents as he is staying with his neighbors and didn't know the number there."

"Last time I checked I wasn't his neighbor Collin."

"He's staying with you?!"

"Yeah, didn't he tell you?! Wait a second, he lied, didn't he?!"

"If you aren't the neighbor he told me about, then I'm afraid so Dwayne"

"I just don't get it, why would he lie?!"

"I did have to give him that note for a reason Dwayne, if you are as close as you say, he probably didn't want to be in trouble."

"Too late for that. Donovan! Get down here, now!" Donnie hadn't heard the car nor heard the principal come as he had been in the shower, he had a feeling though that King wasn't happy. Quickly putting on a pair of pajama pants he ran down the stairs, his hair still wet and dripping.

"King?" Donnie greeted as he was about to come into the kitchen where he guessed King was.

"Good evening Donovan." Donnie visibly paled and stood frozen as King crooked his finger for him to join them. Shuddering Donnie slowly made his way over to the chair next to Kings, before he could sit down though he was grabbed gently by the shoulders. "I want the note Donovan." Donnie bit his lip anxiously and nodded before heading to get the note. "And Donnie? Put on socks and a shirt before you get a cold Kid." When Donnie returned with the note his principal was gone and King was sitting alone in the kitchen. Going to stand beside King, Donnie was only mildly surprised when he found himself not ten seconds later sitting on Pride's lap.

"Now what's this about Kiddo?"

"Nothing you are going to like."

"Uh-hmm" King answered, rubbing Donnie's chin gently. Learning something new every time he dealt with Donnie, King had learnt that at times it was better to just let Donnie talk even if it took some time for the kid to tell he whole story without the usual interrogation.

"It started a couple of days ago…" Donnie started uncertainly.

 **A/N: sorry for the cliff-hanger, but I have no idea what so ever as to what Donnie could have done. That's the way I do my writing, I start somewhere and then let the story write itself. Any ideas to help me along would be greatly appreciated. What do you by the way think of the Loughead family? Needless to say this won't be the last time you see them…**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: To Guest: It's not silly, it's understandable and honestly I feel honoured that my story can help brighten your day in some way. Hope it met your expectations as this was thrown together rather quickly. And thankyou for giving me a timeline so I finally had to sit down and do it. The move here across the world hasn't been easy and being sick just topped it off. I haven't given up on any of my stories, they will all be updated, I just need some time to adjust first. Right now finding a good grocery store and getting used to the different products is my top priority.**

 **And to the other guest reviewer and everybody else, thankyou! And give Principal Loughead a chance, he had his reasons for going to Pride with it. Everything is not as simple as it seems** **I'll try to answer your reviews personally in the next few days and hopefully update a story as well. Thinking about Nathan James, but if you have any other requests, tell me and I might just update that one as well.**

 **-AlexJoSkyler**

Collin's words from their talk rang through Pride's head as he watched Donnie struggle with where to start: _"If it just where the cheating I would have let it go, but as it was I wasn't really comfortable with only giving him a note. Especially after seeing him so carefree with you guys. Sure, he was nervous, but neither you nor Chris let on anything about him being in trouble and that's when a warning bell started coming off in my head. Now hearing that you are his mentor sealed the faith. I know the deal you had with Nate and his parents and can only hope they don't think I've overstepped by coming to you."_

" _After what Donnie did, they'll only be thankful. Besides, if he had been honest the information would have reached me anyway."_

" _I'm pretty sure Donovan won't like me after this, but I had a gut feeling that this wouldn't have played out good. Maybe I should have given him a chance though to come to you or his parents first."_

" _Don't start doubting yourself Collin. Donnie had his chance and he messed it up, so it's time for him to face what he has coming. And as you said yourself, this wasn't just cheating. "_

Looking at the young man before him struggling to find the courage to even start the story, Pride knew exactly why. If he were in Donnie's shoes he wouldn't be too eager himself to admit to being the brain behind a cheating business in school. No, he hadn't operated alone, but from what Pride had heard, it had all begun with him. How and why, Pride didn't know. His stubborn son had kept quiet even when Collin had pressed him.

Donnie glanced up at his mentor, careful to keep his eyes covered by his bangs as much as possible, but still trying to give King a pleading look. He really didn't want to tell this story. Everything was explained in the note that laid on the table in front of them. It'd be easier for both of them if King would just read it. King's expression didn't waiver though as he calmly met Donnie's eyes and said:

"Continue. And let's get these out of the way at the same time." King easily brushed away his bangs, causing Donnie to turn his gaze back down. "Up here Buddy, you know the drill." The voice sounded more sad than disapproving and Donnie after a moment of deliberation turned his head up to meet his mentors' eyes.

"Yes sir." The response was whispered, and Donnie involuntarily cringed and almost let out a whimper as he met the eyes filled with sadness, a hint of anger, disappointment and affection. The last one surprised Donnie. He had royally messed up, but King still felt affection for him. _If he didn't, you wouldn't be sitting on his lap_ , the voice of reason told him. He wasn't so sure though. Despite the months since this whole journey started, Donnie still wasn't fully sure of his place in the "family". He didn't think he'd ever get used to Chris calling him little brother or King calling him son. Just like he wasn't so sure there would ever be a day when he'd stop worrying about King realizing just what he had signed up for. King had time after time reassured him that there was nothing he could do to make him stop loving him, just like Nate and Chris and his parents, Donnie just had a hard time actually believing those words.

"Where do I start?" King must have seen something in his eyes, because he frowned thoughtfully for a second, before gently squeezing Donnie's shoulder and with an even tone answering:

"Anywhere you want to Bud." The hand moved lower to rub his back comfortably and Donnie finally said:

"There was a science test a little more than a week ago. I had forgotten about it and I panicked so during my study hall, the period before my test, I went into my science classroom, hoping that the environment would help me remember the content. And it did, but then I needed to sharpen my pencil and…" Donnie hesitated. "I went up to Mrs. Finkle's desk to use the pencil sharpener she always keeps there and saw the test just lying there out in the open. I couldn't help it, I peaked at it and when Mrs. Finkle didn't come through the door laying at me, I picked it up and memorized it." This was news to Pride who'd only heard about the actions from the last few days. Collin had mentioned that Donnie had admitted to cheating once himself, but that the boy hadn't said more than that. Feeling Donnie tense up, no doubt worrying about his reaction, Pride drew him into a close hug, feeling the whole body tremble with barely held back sobs.

"It's okay Kiddo, we'll get through it. It's okay." When Donnie finally seemed to calm down a bit, Pride released him and pushed him slightly away from himself while still keeping him on his lap. He didn't want the kid to have to manage without the warmth and comfort, but he also wanted to be able to properly look into his eyes for the next part.

"What do I always tell you?"

"That you'll always be there, no matter what."

"Good, what else?"

"That you love me like a son."

"Yeah, and nothing could ever change that so get rid of those doubts. Your brother wasn't exactly an angel and I'm still keeping him around, so why would it be any different with you?" When Donnie didn't acknowledge the statement verbally, King changed tactics: "Are you scared of me?"

"No!" The reply was instant.

"Are you scared to tell me because you think I won't listen?" A shake of the head.

"Do you think I'll throw you out?" An almost invisible shrug. Pride sighed and helped Donnie to stand in between his legs. "Listen to me Buddy, there is nothing and I mean nothing in this world you could do to get rid of me. You are stuck with me son, like it or not. The good, the bad, the ugly, you count me in. I won't go anywhere kiddo, especially not without you. When I took you in it wasn't a decision I made lightly. I knew exactly what came with calling you a son."

"But I'm nothing but trouble!"

"You are so much more than that Donovan." Donnie stubbornly tried to look down, but King gabbed his chin to keep their gazes locked and kept his other hand on his arm, keeping him from bolting towards the door, something Donni had done on more than one occasion when things became too much. "I knew then, just as I know now that you are teenager. Teenagers push, they test boundaries, they doubt, they get scared and they try to grow up too fast. Most importantly they make mistakes. You are allowed to Buddy. If you need me to say that I'll repeat it everyday until you believe me. And as for being nothing but trouble, if you ever say that again Donovan James Williams Pride, you better be prepared for me to wash your mouth out with soap. That's what my mom used to do when you badmouthed somebody or cursed, and you just badmouthed yourself. Kiddo I don't know how to do this other than tell you and show you. I love you son, more than you'll ever know. And that, will never change. I promise. Now what's eating you Buddy?"

"You always keep your promises."

"Yes, I do. What are you getting at?" Seeing the look on Donnie's face Pride cursed himself for not thinking about it sooner. "I promised you back then that I'd be there for you, so I have to be. Is that what you think? That I regret taking you in but can't do anything about it?!" Donnie bit his lip, not daring to answer the question. "I don't." It was said with so much emotion and certainty that Donnie this time, believed it.

"You don't know the whole story though"

"I do know most of it Bud, everything you told Principal Loughead I know about. And I still want you around." Pride saw the fear partially fade away and decided to take it as a success for now. The kid would just need time to see that he'd never give up on him.

"It was a cheating business." The words spilled out of Donnie's mouth so fats that Pride barely caught what he was saying.

"I know kiddo." The continued calmness gave Donnie courage to continue:

"I realized that the teachers tried barely tried to hide them, so when Colby told me how stressed he was about the upcoming math test and what his Parents reaction would be if he didn't pass… I snuck into Ms. Porters classroom and searched around. Turns out she keeps all upcoming tests in the bottom drawer on the left side. I took photos of the two first pages and sent them to Colby, just enough for him to pass." At King's face Donnie quickly assured him: "He never asked for it, he didn't even know that I could or would do it. I just did it for him. His life is far from easy King, and it was supposed to end there but then suddenly Rob showed up with evidence of what I had done and asked me to partner with him. Even if I would have told him no I still would have had to do it, so it felt like a better option to do it without being forced to. You know Rob, he isn't a bad kid, he was just desperate. And even the best people can do stupid stuff when they are desperate. But it wasn't a one-time thing. He owed some older friends money, so selling them test answers seemed like the perfect solution for him."

"Until they wanted more."

"Yeah. And Rob thought that he might be able to get the money faster if we expanded the business."

"If this all was Rob's idea, how did you end up being the head of everything?" Pride asked, careful to keep any accusation out of his voice.

"I didn't want us to get caught. The risk seemed lower if I planned everything myself."

"How did Principal Loughead get alerted?"

"Rumors started circling around school, but nobody seemed to know who it was. I had never met any of the buyers so only Colby and Rob knew it was me."

"Until?"

"Until Rob got approached by one of the more studious seniors and she turned out to be a mole. She somehow convinced Rob, that it was important for her to meet me as well so when we handed over the answers, Principal Loughead caught us red handed."

"How could it have become dangerous?" Pride questioned, wanting to make sure, the kid knew the biggest reason he was upset.

"Rob carried around a list with customer names and dates that he updated every day. The last one he gave me…I swear I never thought he'd take it that far." Donnie still remembered the moment he laid eyes on the what would be the last list.

-Flashback-

" _You can't be serious. No Rob, I won't do it. Not when those guys are involved."_

" _What's the matter with you Donnie?! It's not that big of a deal."_

" _Yes, it is. You know Principal Loughead keeps tabs on anybody they hang around. I don't want to get put on that list, it's the last thing I need."_

" _It's seriously not as bad as you make it sound. Besides, it's good business."_

" _Not if it gets you expelled."_

" _It won't happen. You are overreacting. And Principal Loughead will never know."_

" _Still. I want your word Rob that if this goes badly you won't bring me down with you."_

" _You worry way too much."_

" _Promise." Donnie demanded._

" _Okay, okay. I promise." He should have known to back away right then. He had a gut feeling but chose not to listen to it so 24 hours later when they stepped into the meeting ground for the buyer, Donnie had nobody else to blame but himself. It was a trap. A rotten trap with no way to escape it. They had been doomed the second they made contact with the senior, they just didn't know it yet._

 **A/N: This is it for today as my brain needs sleep. Hope you liked it and thankyou for all the suggestions, they helped me a lot! It feels kind of mean to end there, but I will hopefully update soon. Hope you understand Principal Loughead a little bit more now. The people Donnie and Rob got involved with aren't really the best people to hang around, and there is more to the dangerous side of the story.**


	4. chapter 4

_-Flashback-_

 _"Are you ready?", Rob asked._

 _"If it was up to me I wouldn't be here, so no", Donnie answered shortly. This was the only part of the operation he had no control of and he didn't like it._

 _"Come on spoilsport. It will be fine." Rob pushed open the door to the unused classroom they had agreed on as their meeting point, and stepped inside. Donnie sighed but followed his classmate. The second Donnie laid eyes on their buyer he got nervous. The long girl with straight brown hair was one of the most studious seniors and logically shouldn't have needed their help to pass a test._

 _"Are you the guys I'm supposed to meet?", the girl asked._

 _"If you are looking for lillies and daisies then yes, we are."_

 _"Only in spring."_

 _"Rob", Rob presented himself once he had heard the security phrase they had agreed on._

 _"Mia."_

 _"That's my business partner Donnie." The Girl acknowledged him with a nod._

 _"Did you bring my flowers?"_

 _"It took some time, but we got them. Here you go." Rob handed her the test with the correct answers Donnie had copied._ _"How did you get them?" Mia asked with a curious expression._

 _"Believe me, it's better if you don't know."_

 _"You broke in didn't you?!_

 _"A magician never reveals his secrets."_

 _"Come on you can tell me."_

 _"No", Donnie answered more sharply than he had intended to. He didn't trust her and had realized that Rob was about to admit everything to her._

 _"I didn't do anything of the sort. Donnie here is the burglar. I, on the other hand, take care of the more dangerous parts of our business; finding and meeting with clients."_

 _"I could guess, you strike me as a guy that goes looking for trouble. It's 30 dollars right?!"_

 _"For a first time customer as pretty as you, yes. Thankyou." Rob pocketed the money and was about to say something more when the door to the storage closet in the back of the classroom flung open and Mr. Loughead stepped out with a grim look on his face._

 _-Flashback ending-_

"I believe you, son, but that doesn't answer my question. Why was it dangerous?"

"Not all of Rob's customers are model citizens. They never came after me for money though so there wasn't any real danger."

"Strike one."

"They easily could have. Me and Rob texted freaquently. All they would have needed was to look through his phone or get him to tell on me." Donnie admitted, realizing that he was in enough trouble as it was without adding insult to injury.

"There is something else as well Buddy."

"They could have called the police. Technically what I did was stealing. If they would have arrested me...I would publicly have shamed you, Chris, Nate, Mom and Dad." Donnie's voice almost broke as he tried to say the words without feeling as the biggest fool on the planet. He had came scarily close to the last scenario.

"You could never shame us Donovan" King stated in a soothing voice, having gotten close enough to Donnie to almost see the thoughts running through the teenager's head. "There are times when we might be disappointed in your actions, but never of you. And you'd never shame us. Do you understand me, son?!"

"But..."

"There is no but you can utter that will change that. I asked you if you understand me son?!"

"Yes sir."

"I'm not trying to be mean here Donnie, but only I can decide how I feel about you. You can decide to listen now or listen later but sooner or later you'll see that it's the truth. No matter what you do I'l never be ashemed of calling you mine." Letting his words sink in for a minute King decided that the Kid had heard all the reassurances he could take in for now. Shifting slightly he brought the boy closer to him, being confident in his skills to detect any possible lies without looking into his eyes. "When did all the break-ins happen?"

"After school mostly." Donnie mumbled. Not sure if the closeness to the other man made it easier or harder to admit. "I lied to Mom and Dad." The last sentence was barely a whisper. It hadn't been one lie. It hadn't been two. It had been about ten all in all to his well meaning parents who had been too happy over the fact that Donnie had found a friend to spot the tell-tale signs of him lying. It was those happy faces that had haunted him long into the night.

"That is something you'll have to face at home Buddy."

"They'll be mad."

"But still love you the same."

"I know." Donnie would never question his parents love for him.

"Good. Now if there is anything else you want to tell me, now is the time to do so."

"I don't think there is anything else."

"Why didn't you show us the note?" _The note. Donnie had totally forgotten about the note that still lay on the table._

"I didn't want to ruin the weekend. It's almost never I get to spend one with you and Chris without being in trouble."Filing the information away for later, King continued:

"What where you planning to do with the note?"

"I don't know."

"Two. You do." King's voice was still soft with only a trace of sterness in it, but it was effective.

"Sign it", Donnie answered quietly.

"Whose signature?"

"Dad's."

"Add that to your list to take up with your parents, Buddy."

"Yes sir."

"How did you manage to break in?"

"In the beginning most classroom doors still were unlocked and once the teachers started locking them it still wasnt't too hard to get in. I usually found a way."

"What happened once you did?"

"I almost always found the test I was looking for and if I didn't I tried again in a few days."

"And if you didn't find it then?!"

"It never happened."

"Did you even think about security cameras?!"

"The school never installed them. I know they have them stored in a backroom uninstalled. I saw them when I helped Mr. Lawrence pick up some more material for art class.

"I actually think that is all so why don't you head on up to bed?! I'll be up in a few minutes to say goodnight."

"Okay." King watched the boy scramble to his feet and hastily make his way upstairs. Once Donnie was out of hearing range King picked up his phone and pressed 2 to speed dial the one person he knew he could count on.

"Gibbs"

"Hi, Jethro."

"Dwayne?! What's going on?"

"How is Tony doing?"

"You spoke with him just a few days ago. He's good. How about Donnie?"

"Leader of a cheating ring. Stole test answers and sold them. Mostly involuntarily but still."

"I bet he didn't want to tell you that and ruin your long weekend together."

"He didn't end up doing it. My friend, Principal Loughead did. After Donnie decided to lie to him about who he was staying with."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full. Did you talk with him yet?"

"Yeah. But it's way past his bedtime as it is so he'll go without punishment until tomorrow morning."

"Might be for the best. Give you both some time to figure things out."

"I thought we had come further, but the kid still wonders if I regret taking him in."

"Do you think he was testing you?"

"Not with the cheating business, no. He couldn't have known he'd end up here this weekened."

"But otherwise?!"

"He is a teenager Jethro. I know Tony is well behaved 90 percent of the time when he is within your sight, but don't try telling me he's never tried pushing your buttons."

"He knows the consequenses that comes with doing so."

"You think Donnie doesn't?!"

"I think the kid still tries to figure out where his place is. Now that the initial schock has wore off of you taking on an active role in his life, he's trying to see exactly what comes with the territory."

"When did you become so wise old friend?"

"Tony." King smiled at that. The father-son relationship between the pair was something really special.

"Give my nephew a hug from me."

"I will. As soon as you tell me what you are thinking."

"That maybe I'll just have to ride his recent attitude out."

"Or you do something about it now before either of you end up saying something you'll regret."

"He's just so insecure Jethro. I don't want him to think he can't tell me when soemthing is up for fear of me punishing him."

"He needs the boundaries Dwayne. Keep doing what you've done so far and the kid and you will turn out just fine."

"I'll try." King sighed.

"Goodnight Dwayne."

-Principals and mentors-

"Donnie, breakfast is ready!" Donnie groaned, but knwoing he didn't have a choice, he took one last look in the mirror before jogging down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen at a slower pace Donnie was relieved to not see Chris anywhere.

"I talked with him earlier and told him to head straight to the office. He most likely suspects something but it's up to you to tell him if you feel like you need to. He won't ask about it." They had a few months into the new arrangement made some decisions, one of which was that King was the main person along with Donnie's parents to handle things. If something Donnie did affected Chris as well, like a lie, Chris would most likely step in or even handle it. If Chris or King though felt that Donnie and King could work something out between the two them, he would let it go. Chris still remained a disciplinarian but in cases which didn't affect him he took a more backseat role.

"Okay."

"Eat your breakfast Bud, you'll be on chore duty until your parents get back so you'll need the strenght."

"Chore duty?"

"Running errands for me and Chris and helping us in the office. Nothing you haven't done before."

"Yes sir."

"Good now eat, unless you like Chris want to eat it cold. Finishing his breakfast quickly, Donnie looked at King through his bangs, trying to determine how upset the man was after a good nights sleep.

"Bangs, Buddy." Donnie sighed but brushed them to the side of his face before looking at his mentor again, carefully avoiding direct eye contact. "Eye contact Donovan. You know the rules. Why didn't you come to anybody when Rob first approached you?!"

"I didn't know he would take it this far!" For reasons Donnie himself didn't even know he instantly got mad.

"But when you knew you still played along."

"What are you saying?!"

"That you should know to come to us by know. We would have helped you figure out the situation without bringing down the friend you helped." That comment deflated Donnie's anger a bit.

"Sorry."

"I'm not looking for an apology Donnie."

"Then what do you want?!"

"An idea of why you didn't come to us despite promising the last time that you would."

"You were spanking me! I would have told you anything in that moment."

"Unfortunately for you I took it as a promise and you know how I feel about promises." Donnie had grown comfortable enough in his relationship with King to argue with him and even test him every now and then. He wasn't though immune yet to the tone in which the last sentence was delievered and hastily lowered his eyes. It was King's 'I'm disappointed beyond words' tone. Donnie had seen his brother crumble under that tone and pretty much felt himself fall to pieces right then and there. He hated that tone with passion, especially for how low it made him feel. King didn't use it often, very seldom in fact. The fact that he had felt the need to do so hurt almost as much as the tone itself. Donnie had promised him. He just hadn't remebered his promise. Not that it should have mattered. They both knew he knew better.

" What are you thinking Bud?" Donnie in his own thoughts jerked at the hand in his hair. King instantly brought his hand down with a less than a second long hurt expression.

"You startled me."

"I didn't mean to Donnie." The silence fell for a moment after that and Donnie cursed himself for sounding so accusing. It seemed like he could do nothing right this morning. Maybe if he could get some space he'd figure it out.

"Could I be excused?"

"We are not done talking Donovan."

"I know, I just need a moment."

"Okay. The house and the yard though."

"Yes sir." King's worried eyes followed the young teenager until he was out of sight. He was happy that Donnie was comfortable enough with him to speak his mind, but lately it seemed like they had a 50/50 chance of the conversation to turn out badly. Those weren't odds he liked. They had grown closer, so why was Donnie fighting him so much on this?!

-Principals and mentors-

"Everything I say come out wrong." Donnie complained. "And I know I screwed up and for once Chris is leaving me alone, but still..."

"You aren't ready to take all the blame for something you feel wasn't so bad."

"Yeah."

"Talk to him, just like you would with Dad."

"Yeah well you call him Dad."

"And I talked to you, Mom, Dad, Chris and King beforehand. You know he has been like a second father to me for years but if you feel that you really would feel more comfortable with Dad and Mom handling it, tell him. He'll respect your desicion."

"How do you know?"

"I did it once. For the wrong reasons though and I didn't exactly deal myself a better hand. If anything I made the whole thing worse by confessing to Dad that I thought he'd be less angry. I'm serious though Donnie. King hasn't dealt wih you and school stuff before. If you don't feel comfortable with him handling it, you'll only end up hurting your relationship by not telling him now."

"I'm not sure Nate. I don't even know why I got so mad. It just feels like he doesn't listen to me."

"Did you listen to him?"

"Yeah he went on and on about the danger...oh."

"Oh?!" Nate repeated knowingly.

"He got worried." Donnie whispered. "And I got defensive because I couldn't see his point. He can't loose me."

"Non of us can, I hope you know that Kiddo."

"I do. I wish you were here, big brother."

"You are not the only one, little brother."

"I should probably go talk to King."

"Call me when you are finished."

"I will. Thanks Nate."

"I'm always here for you."

"And I'm here for you. Love you big brother."

"Love you little brother. Bye."

 **A/N: I wrote this chapter a few days ago but I was unsure of how you guys would feel about Donnie's newfound attitude. I wanted to highlight that Donnie is a teenager and as he grows more and more comfortable around King he'll most likely show a bit more of his less compliant side. Donnie is a great kid, but he isn't perfect and personally I found it quite fun to write about the pair when they are more comfortable around each other but still figuring things out. The attitude change might seem pretty drastic, but Donnie was overtired last night and emotional from the long day so he was more sensitive then. Now that he has had some sleep he is more bound to try to defend his actions. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it met your expectations!**


	5. chapter 4 (12-08 00:11:18)

_-Flashback-_

 _"Are you ready?", Rob asked._

 _"If it was up to me I wouldn't be here, so no", Donnie answered shortly. This was the only part of the operation he had no control of and he didn't like it._

 _"Come on spoilsport. It will be fine." Rob pushed open the door to the unused classroom they had agreed on as their meeting point, and stepped inside. Donnie sighed but followed his classmate. The second Donnie laid eyes on their buyer he got nervous. The long girl with straight brown hair was one of the most studious seniors and logically shouldn't have needed their help to pass a test._

 _"Are you the guys I'm supposed to meet?", the girl asked._

 _"If you are looking for lillies and daisies then yes, we are."_

 _"Only in spring."_

 _"Rob", Rob presented himself once he had heard the security phrase they had agreed on._

 _"Mia."_

 _"That's my business partner Donnie." The Girl acknowledged him with a nod._

 _"Did you bring my flowers?"_

 _"It took some time, but we got them. Here you go." Rob handed her the test with the correct answers Donnie had copied._ _"How did you get them?" Mia asked with a curious expression._

 _"Believe me, it's better if you don't know."_

 _"You broke in didn't you?!_

 _"A magician never reveals his secrets."_

 _"Come on you can tell me."_

 _"No", Donnie answered more sharply than he had intended to. He didn't trust her and had realized that Rob was about to admit everything to her._

 _"I didn't do anything of the sort. Donnie here is the burglar. I, on the other hand, take care of the more dangerous parts of our business; finding and meeting with clients."_

 _"I could guess, you strike me as a guy that goes looking for trouble. It's 30 dollars right?!"_

 _"For a first time customer as pretty as you, yes. Thankyou." Rob pocketed the money and was about to say something more when the door to the storage closet in the back of the classroom flung open and Mr. Loughead stepped out with a grim look on his face._

 _-Flashback ending-_

"I believe you, son, but that doesn't answer my question. Why was it dangerous?"

"Not all of Rob's customers are model citizens. They never came after me for money though so there wasn't any real danger."

"Strike one."

"They easily could have. Me and Rob texted freaquently. All they would have needed was to look through his phone or get him to tell on me." Donnie admitted, realizing that he was in enough trouble as it was without adding insult to injury.

"There is something else as well Buddy."

"They could have called the police. Technically what I did was stealing. If they would have arrested me...I would publicly have shamed you, Chris, Nate, Mom and Dad." Donnie's voice almost broke as he tried to say the words without feeling as the biggest fool on the planet. He had came scarily close to the last scenario.

"You could never shame us Donovan" King stated in a soothing voice, having gotten close enough to Donnie to almost see the thoughts running through the teenager's head. "There are times when we might be disappointed in your actions, but never of you. And you'd never shame us. Do you understand me, son?!"

"But..."

"There is no but you can utter that will change that. I asked you if you understand me son?!"

"Yes sir."

"I'm not trying to be mean here Donnie, but only I can decide how I feel about you. You can decide to listen now or listen later but sooner or later you'll see that it's the truth. No matter what you do I'l never be ashemed of calling you mine." Letting his words sink in for a minute King decided that the Kid had heard all the reassurances he could take in for now. Shifting slightly he brought the boy closer to him, being confident in his skills to detect any possible lies without looking into his eyes. "When did all the break-ins happen?"

"After school mostly." Donnie mumbled. Not sure if the closeness to the other man made it easier or harder to admit. "I lied to Mom and Dad." The last sentence was barely a whisper. It hadn't been one lie. It hadn't been two. It had been about ten all in all to his well meaning parents who had been too happy over the fact that Donnie had found a friend to spot the tell-tale signs of him lying. It was those happy faces that had haunted him long into the night.

"That is something you'll have to face at home Buddy."

"They'll be mad."

"But still love you the same."

"I know." Donnie would never question his parents love for him.

"Good. Now if there is anything else you want to tell me, now is the time to do so."

"I don't think there is anything else."

"Why didn't you show us the note?" _The note. Donnie had totally forgotten about the note that still lay on the table._

"I didn't want to ruin the weekend. It's almost never I get to spend one with you and Chris without being in trouble."Filing the information away for later, King continued:

"What where you planning to do with the note?"

"I don't know."

"Two. You do." King's voice was still soft with only a trace of sterness in it, but it was effective.

"Sign it", Donnie answered quietly.

"Whose signature?"

"Dad's."

"Add that to your list to take up with your parents, Buddy."

"Yes sir."

"How did you manage to break in?"

"In the beginning most classroom doors still were unlocked and once the teachers started locking them it still wasnt't too hard to get in. I usually found a way."

"What happened once you did?"

"I almost always found the test I was looking for and if I didn't I tried again in a few days."

"And if you didn't find it then?!"

"It never happened."

"Did you even think about security cameras?!"

"The school never installed them. I know they have them stored in a backroom uninstalled. I saw them when I helped Mr. Lawrence pick up some more material for art class.

"I actually think that is all so why don't you head on up to bed?! I'll be up in a few minutes to say goodnight."

"Okay." King watched the boy scramble to his feet and hastily make his way upstairs. Once Donnie was out of hearing range King picked up his phone and pressed 2 to speed dial the one person he knew he could count on.

"Gibbs"

"Hi, Jethro."

"Dwayne?! What's going on?"

"How is Tony doing?"

"You spoke with him just a few days ago. He's good. How about Donnie?"

"Leader of a cheating ring. Stole test answers and sold them. Mostly involuntarily but still."

"I bet he didn't want to tell you that and ruin your long weekend together."

"He didn't end up doing it. My friend, Principal Loughead did. After Donnie decided to lie to him about who he was staying with."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full. Did you talk with him yet?"

"Yeah. But it's way past his bedtime as it is so he'll go without punishment until tomorrow morning."

"Might be for the best. Give you both some time to figure things out."

"I thought we had come further, but the kid still wonders if I regret taking him in."

"Do you think he was testing you?"

"Not with the cheating business, no. He couldn't have known he'd end up here this weekened."

"But otherwise?!"

"He is a teenager Jethro. I know Tony is well behaved 90 percent of the time when he is within your sight, but don't try telling me he's never tried pushing your buttons."

"He knows the consequenses that comes with doing so."

"You think Donnie doesn't?!"

"I think the kid still tries to figure out where his place is. Now that the initial schock has wore off of you taking on an active role in his life, he's trying to see exactly what comes with the territory."

"When did you become so wise old friend?"

"Tony." King smiled at that. The father-son relationship between the pair was something really special.

"Give my nephew a hug from me."

"I will. As soon as you tell me what you are thinking."

"That maybe I'll just have to ride his recent attitude out."

"Or you do something about it now before either of you end up saying something you'll regret."

"He's just so insecure Jethro. I don't want him to think he can't tell me when soemthing is up for fear of me punishing him."

"He needs the boundaries Dwayne. Keep doing what you've done so far and the kid and you will turn out just fine."

"I'll try." King sighed.

"Goodnight Dwayne."

-Principals and mentors-

"Donnie, breakfast is ready!" Donnie groaned, but knwoing he didn't have a choice, he took one last look in the mirror before jogging down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen at a slower pace Donnie was relieved to not see Chris anywhere.

"I talked with him earlier and told him to head straight to the office. He most likely suspects something but it's up to you to tell him if you feel like you need to. He won't ask about it." They had a few months into the new arrangement made some decisions, one of which was that King was the main person along with Donnie's parents to handle things. If something Donnie did affected Chris as well, like a lie, Chris would most likely step in or even handle it. If Chris or King though felt that Donnie and King could work something out between the two them, he would let it go. Chris still remained a disciplinarian but in cases which didn't affect him he took a more backseat role.

"Okay."

"Eat your breakfast Bud, you'll be on chore duty until your parents get back so you'll need the strenght."

"Chore duty?"

"Running errands for me and Chris and helping us in the office. Nothing you haven't done before."

"Yes sir."

"Good now eat, unless you like Chris want to eat it cold. Finishing his breakfast quickly, Donnie looked at King through his bangs, trying to determine how upset the man was after a good nights sleep.

"Bangs, Buddy." Donnie sighed but brushed them to the side of his face before looking at his mentor again, carefully avoiding direct eye contact. "Eye contact Donovan. You know the rules. Why didn't you come to anybody when Rob first approached you?!"

"I didn't know he would take it this far!" For reasons Donnie himself didn't even know he instantly got mad.

"But when you knew you still played along."

"What are you saying?!"

"That you should know to come to us by know. We would have helped you figure out the situation without bringing down the friend you helped." That comment deflated Donnie's anger a bit.

"Sorry."

"I'm not looking for an apology Donnie."

"Then what do you want?!"

"An idea of why you didn't come to us despite promising the last time that you would."

"You were spanking me! I would have told you anything in that moment."

"Unfortunately for you I took it as a promise and you know how I feel about promises." Donnie had grown comfortable enough in his relationship with King to argue with him and even test him every now and then. He wasn't though immune yet to the tone in which the last sentence was delievered and hastily lowered his eyes. It was King's 'I'm disappointed beyond words' tone. Donnie had seen his brother crumble under that tone and pretty much felt himself fall to pieces right then and there. He hated that tone with passion, especially for how low it made him feel. King didn't use it often, very seldom in fact. The fact that he had felt the need to do so hurt almost as much as the tone itself. Donnie had promised him. He just hadn't remebered his promise. Not that it should have mattered. They both knew he knew better.

" What are you thinking Bud?" Donnie in his own thoughts jerked at the hand in his hair. King instantly brought his hand down with a less than a second long hurt expression.

"You startled me."

"I didn't mean to Donnie." The silence fell for a moment after that and Donnie cursed himself for sounding so accusing. It seemed like he could do nothing right this morning. Maybe if he could get some space he'd figure it out.

"Could I be excused?"

"We are not done talking Donovan."

"I know, I just need a moment."

"Okay. The house and the yard though."

"Yes sir." King's worried eyes followed the young teenager until he was out of sight. He was happy that Donnie was comfortable enough with him to speak his mind, but lately it seemed like they had a 50/50 chance of the conversation to turn out badly. Those weren't odds he liked. They had grown closer, so why was Donnie fighting him so much on this?!

-Principals and mentors-

"Everything I say come out wrong." Donnie complained. "And I know I screwed up and for once Chris is leaving me alone, but still..."

"You aren't ready to take all the blame for something you feel wasn't so bad."

"Yeah."

"Talk to him, just like you would with Dad."

"Yeah well you call him Dad."

"And I talked to you, Mom, Dad, Chris and King beforehand. You know he has been like a second father to me for years but if you feel that you really would feel more comfortable with Dad and Mom handling it, tell him. He'll respect your desicion."

"How do you know?"

"I did it once. For the wrong reasons though and I didn't exactly deal myself a better hand. If anything I made the whole thing worse by confessing to Dad that I thought he'd be less angry. I'm serious though Donnie. King hasn't dealt wih you and school stuff before. If you don't feel comfortable with him handling it, you'll only end up hurting your relationship by not telling him now."

"I'm not sure Nate. I don't even know why I got so mad. It just feels like he doesn't listen to me."

"Did you listen to him?"

"Yeah he went on and on about the danger...oh."

"Oh?!" Nate repeated knowingly.

"He got worried." Donnie whispered. "And I got defensive because I couldn't see his point. He can't loose me."

"Non of us can, I hope you know that Kiddo."

"I do. I wish you were here, big brother."

"You are not the only one, little brother."

"I should probably go talk to King."

"Call me when you are finished."

"I will. Thanks Nate."

"I'm always here for you."

"And I'm here for you. Love you big brother."

"Love you little brother. Bye."

 **A/N: I wrote this chapter a few days ago but I was unsure of how you guys would feel about Donnie's newfound attitude. I wanted to highlight that Donnie is a teenager and as he grows more and more comfortable around King he'll most likely show a bit more of his less compliant side. Donnie is a great kid, but he isn't perfect and personally I found it quite fun to write about the pair when they are more comfortable around each other but still figuring things out. The attitude change might seem pretty drastic, but Donnie was overtired last night and emotional from the long day so he was more sensitive then. Now that he has had some sleep he is more bound to try to defend his actions. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and that it met your expectations!**


	6. Chapter 6

"King?" Donnie watched his mentor carefully, his voice sounding smaller than he wanted I to.

"Yeah Bud?"

"Can we talk?"

"Yes, of course, why don't we continue this out here?"

"Okay." Donnie agreed quietly. Once he and King were seated Donnie mumbled out an apology: "I'm sorry."

"For what Bud?"

"For the attitude, I didn't think about you being worried."

"Are we on the same page now?" King asked calmly.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now while you were upstairs I spent some time thinking and I'm going to give you two options: you can let your parents handle this or let me. The choice is yours. If you aren't comfortable with me handling this I want you to tell me Donovan."

"I am! I'm sorry, I just…I don't know. I want you to handle this, but it seems like I never say the right thing anymore. Things were so easy just a month ago…"

"Maybe that's something we should work on." At Donnie's doubtful face, King continued: "You were bound to test me son, once you got comfortable with having me and Chris around, you were bound to test the truth in my words and promises. And for you not doing anything right lately, I disagree."

"But…"

"No, Donovan. I can count on one hand the times you've been in trouble lately. James and Katherine chose grounding you those times, which probably have made you feel like you've been in trouble more than you have."

"Well yeah, but…"

"Let me ask you something Donnie."

"What?"

"What were you hoping to get out of this weekend?"

"I don't know…"

"I think you do. I also think you weren't entirely truthful earlier."

"What do you mean?!"

"Just answer my question Donnie."

"I wanted you to see that you hadn't made a mistake in taking me in. I wanted to prove myself, but at the same time push you to see if that one more time was going to get you to throw me out, now that you don't have my parents to simply hand me over to."

"First of all: that's never going to happen. You are in my life to stay Donovan, no matter what you do. Secondly: when have I ever handed you over to your parents?!"

"The first time, and after the fiasco…"

"The break in?"

"Yes sir."

"Kiddo, the first time I didn't know how to handle you and James was the only one who could get you to calm down after the break in. You did face consequences from me though as well if I remember it correctly. Have you made up your mind on who you want to deal with?"

"Neither?" Donnie asked hopefully. King just met his gaze steadily. "Didn't think so…would you…could you, maybe handle it?"

"I think you made a wise choice, son. Why don't you head up to your room; I'll be right behind you." Donnie never got used to hearing King call the room his, no matter how many times he stayed over. True to his word, King entered the room barely 30 seconds after Donnie. What he entered with though had Donnie backing into a corner with his hands raised pleadingly in front of him.

"Calm down, Donovan, I won't use it for the entire spanking." King beckoned him over with one hand and put the brush on the bed next to him with the other. "Besides, we are going to talk a little first. Depending on how that goes I'll see how much I need to use it." Donnie resigned himself to his fate and walked over to King.

"Why am I doing this?"

"Because you love me and want me to grow up right."

"Exactly." King smiled at him and gently caressed his face for a moment. "I want you to always remember that Donovan."

"I will." Donnie assured him.

"What did you do wrong?"

"Everything, basically."

"Not everything, there were some things you did right, and now since you don't seem to know them, I want to hear what you think you did right."

"I…" Donnie hesitated. "I was careful?"

"Not careful enough, but yes, I do appreciate that you were at least somewhat careful and aware of who your partner was selling to."

"I told Principal Loughead most of the story"

"Yes."

"That's all I can think of."

"I can think of one thing more."

"What?" Donnie asked curiously.

"As far as I know you've been truthful with me in your narration of the story."

"I have been. I really hate lying to you King."

"That's good to know, son." He smiled. "Ready to get this over with?"

"Yes sir." King tipped him over his knees and started the spanking without any further ado. Donnie grabbed onto his pant leg and buried his face in it, inhaling the familiar smell of the man he had come to love so much. King watched the boy on his knees closely as the spanking proceeded, looking for signs of the lesson sticking and him giving up the fight. Once that happened, he would continue with the brush to make sure Donnie wouldn't put himself in danger anytime soon. After the first round was over, Donnie had barely emitted a sound, causing King to look down suspiciously. Carefully lifting the young boys head, he could see the visible bite marks on his lip.

"None of that kiddo. Where in the world did you get the idea that you needed to do that?!"

"Nobody."

"Donnie…"

"I just figured I needed to man up a little bit, be more like Chris and Nate so that you won't think I'm too much trouble if I act like a five-year-old."

"Bud, I though we went over this yesterday already, there is nothing you can do to make me throw you out."

"But I don't want you to think I'm a baby either."

"I will never think less of you for crying son."

"Really?"

"Really, put your head back, but this time, let your lip be, I don't want to see any blood when we are done, do you understand me Donovan?"

"Yes sir."

"Good boy. Are you ready to start again?" Donnie nodded hesitantly, and King started bringing his hand down sharply again. This time Donnie emitted yelps that soon turned into crying. Once King felt Donnie completely give up the fight, he picked up the brush. "It's been nearly 6 months now kiddo and we've done this more than once before, how many do you think you deserve?" Donnie wanted to scream 0, but even in the state he was, he knew that wasn't true.

"7?" He finally whispered through the tears still running down his face.

"I agree Buddy. And I am very proud of you for taking this seriously Donnie." King brought down the brush on the right cheek with a snap of the wrist causing the already pink skin to turn a rosier red colour. After that he repeated the process on the other cheek and then continued bringing the brush down five more times. As soon as the last SWAT fell King dropped the brush onto the bed and started rubbing soothing circles on Donnie's back while murmuring comforting words to his youngest. Once Donnie was calm enough, King righted him and brought him into a bear hug on his lap. "I can't loose you Donovan. I hate being this hard on you, but you risking your life isn't something I can allow."

"I know." Donnie mumbled into King's neck.

"Good. Love you Donnie."

"Love you too." Donnie nestled even closer to him, causing King to laugh and wrap his arms even tighter around his youngster.

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Are you okay?" Donnie shrugged and Logan watched him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry Da felt the need to tell on you."

"Shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Maybe not, but it's still not fair and I'm going to tell Da that later. Couldn't risk his wrath earlier today, he was still sore at me for calling Cass an ass yesterday. Was worth it though."

"How did you find King's place by the way? Or even know I was over here?"

"Da and Ma are old friends of his, I've been over for dinner more times than I can remember. And I heard Ma and Da talk last night."

"Heard?!"

"I snuck downstairs." Logan explained with a big grin.

"Not that I mind, but what are you doing here anyway? You've known me all of one day really."

"A little bit longer, considering I've seen you at Dylan's, but mostly I felt bad for you so I came to apologize on my Dad's behalf, and…I've got a surprise for you."

"What?"

"That would be your cue Seanie!" Logan shouted, keeping in mind that King who was inside wasn't supposed to know that they were here. Seeing his oldest friend emerge from behind a tree, Donnie didn't even care that Logan was watching, he broke out into a wide smile and ran to greet his friend with a quick manly hug.

"Hi Donnie"

"Sean! I had no idea…"

"You weren't supposed to." Sean explained. "And you call your sister an ass, Logan. Stop calling me Seanie!"

"Sorry, force of habit Seanie."

"Logan…"

"What?! Blame it on Dylan!"

"I will, as soon as I get home. So where is the famous man himself that I have yet to meet?"

"Inside. I'm not sure how he'd feel about having you here while I'm pretty much on probation."

"Sorry Donnie, but I warned you it wasn't smart."

"Yeah…It's weird that you've never met him. He has asked about you more than once."

"Oh-oh. That's not good. What does he think I did?"

"Nothing." Donnie punched his friend lightly in the arm. "He's just curious."

"So what's the verdict, are you grounded or…?"

"As far as I know, no. But I more likely than not am in some way or form. We are supposed to leave for HQ in less than an hour."

"Mind if I stay for a while?"

"I probably should ask King."

"Why the nervous face?!" Sean asked with a hint of worry evident in his voice. He had never met the man himself and although Donnie had explained everything, he wanted to make his own impression before he could trust him.

"It's not what you think." Donnie replied with a sigh.

"Then tell me what you think." Donnie cast a quick glance towards Logan.

"It's fine Donnie, whatever the reason I won't judge you."

"But you barely seem to respect your Dad."

"It's not always what it looks like Donnie. I'm not a bad kid, I just like doing things that get me in trouble at times. As for not respecting my Dad, I do respect him, it's just hard leaving my school persona behind at times."

"I just don't want to disappoint him again. It's bad enough I already did it once this weekend, I don't want to do it twice." Donnie explained.

"Talk to him Donnie, from what you've told me I'm pretty sure he won't be mad, and if he is, just tell him it was my idea and that we wouldn't leave."

"But your Dad…"

"Has had bigger shocks in his life."

"We all know that for a fact." Logan snorted. "Seriously though Donnie, if he gets mad tell him the truth, you had no idea and we just popped in. If he wants to yell at somebody he can yell at me. After what Da did, I owed you. This was my way of making it up to you."

"Well whoever takes the blame better get ready because we aren't unnoticed anymore." Sean pointed out in a low voice, nodding towards King advancing on them from the backdoor and Chris from the small forest that the backyard connected to.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I always love hearing your thoughts and encouragement as well as ideas, so please don't forget to review!**

"Logan?! I wasn't aware of you planning to visit Donnie today." King said kindly, yet in a no-nonsense tone. He didn't let his curiosity over who the unfamiliar boy was shine through the face he had put on. Although Logan was with him, he had his doubts, especially at the gaze that locked with his as he studied him.

"It was kind of last minute." King nodded at the explanation, giving him an appreciative smile. "Donnie had no idea until we showed up."

"Who are you?" Chris asked, a hint of authority slipping into his voice, clearly not up to beating around the bush.

"Sean Connor" The boy answered simply. Chris did a good job at keeping the surprise off his face but King had no trouble seeing it. The famous Sean Connor they had wanted to meet for months was suddenly standing in King's garden. Dressed in simple grey jeans and a dark blue shirt that made his reddish-brown hair look even more red and the freckles to stand out on his face.

"Nice to meet you Sean."

"Nice to meet you too, sir."

"I'm sorry King, I know I'm probably on some kind of restriction…"

"It's fine son. You had no idea." King soothed him, happy to see Chris stepping up behind Donnie to envelope him in a hug from behind, causing Donnie to relax instantly. "Why don't we take this inside?"

"Hey!" Sean reacted to Logan bumping into him rather forcefully.

"Quit it Seanie or I'm telling Dylan."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me Seanie!"

"You did, and I'm telling you he's a good man. You can trust them Sean."

"So you've said."

"You just have to find out on your own, don't you?!"

"When it comes to my best friend: yes."

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Sean, would you mind if we spoke alone for a moment?" King suddenly asked. He had during the last twenty minutes heard about Logan's plan and how he'd gotten Sean here, but Sean himself had barely said a word. He could feel the teenager study him more than once and with the conversation between Logan and Sean still fresh on his mind, he wanted to step in before anything escalated. Whatever it was.

"Sure." Sean followed him upstairs and into Donnie's new room where King motioned for him to take a seat on the bed.

"I've heard a lot about you. Enough so that I feel I have reason to believe this isn't how you normally act."

"How come?!"

"First of all Donnie has described you as level headed and kind but stubborn. From what I've come to understand you are the one that has kept the two of you out of trouble mot of the time. Still here you are and the challenge in your eyes is clear so you have my full attention Sean: what do you want from me?"

"To not hurt my best friend."

"What?!" King was taken aback by the answer and made no effort to hide it. "Hurt him?!"

"You heard me. You aren't the only one who has heard stories. Admittedly he didn't want to tell me at first, but I know you spank him."

"A spanking is not a beating Sean, not in my world." When the teenager still didn't look convinced he continued: "You've met James and Katherine countless times, right?!"

"Yes."

"Do you think they care about Donnie?"

"Of course they do! They are amazing parents"

"Then why in the world would they let Donnie stay here if I hurt him?!"

"I…I don't know."

"I know you are looking out for your best friend Sean, but things aren't always what they seem and when they aren't you have to be prepared to let your case rest. Trust their love in Donnie. It will take time for you and me to get to know each other and trust one another but give me a fair chance and I promise I'll do the same for you. Deal?"

"Yes sir." That got King smiling.

"I had a feeling you hid good manners under that rough exterior."

"My parents made sure I was raised right. Would you mind answering a question Mr. Pride?"

"Of course not, son."

"Why here? Why did you take me here of all places?"

"I wanted you to see with your own eyes that I care about him. This is Donnie's room at my place."

"Really?!" Sean looked around wide eyed, trying to take it all in. He was sure that Donnie had mentioned it sometime during their conversations, but he couldn't have imagined it being this nice.

"Would you mind if I asked something else?"

"Not at all."

"Why are you doing this for him?"

"He's like a son to me." The statement was delivered with so much certainty that Sean broke out in a big smile.

"Good. I needed to be sure. For Donnie's sake."

"I appreciate your concern. Are you okay with me now?"

"Yes sir."

 **-Principals and mentors-**

The grownups had after an hour decided to let the boys go back outside into the garden, even though neither Chris nor Sean really seemed to trust each other yet. The earlier tension between King and Sean had disappeared completely, which had Donnie wondering what really had transpired upstairs. He knew better than to ask as long as Chris and King were in the room, but now that he had his friend all to himself, he couldn't resist:

"What happened with King?"

"We came to an understanding." Donnie rolled his eyes at that. It was such a typical Sean answer. Not that his friend didn't know how to have fun and be a kid, but he could be really grown up too when he wanted to. And stubborn. Really stubborn.

"Come on Seanie, we all know he must have said something." Sean gave Logan a half-hearted punch to the arm.

"We talked."

"I'm this close to calling Dylan." Logan threatened, holding up his finger about an inch apart.

"No need, I'm here." The voice of Dylan Connor suddenly rang out. "Your Da called me, saying you disappeared somewhere. From what I understood of the thick Scottish accent he uses when he is mad, he thought I was with you. For one reason or another he couldn't quite believe that you had kidnapped my idiot brother to go visit a mutual friend. All the while not telling our guardians a thing either. So, to sum it up I had to come looking for the two of you to bring home to two sets of pissed of people deciding your fate.

"No need to be so dramatic Dylan" Sean muttered. "I told them I was heading out with Logan."

"Yeah, but you forgot to tell them where, and you also forgot your backpack, so naturally they got worried." Sean's face softened at that.

"Thanks for bringing it Dyl, I didn't even realize it. You know I haven't seen Donnie for months so I guess I was a little too excited earlier."

"It's fine, now why was Logi-Bear about to call me?!"

"It's not what you think. King just spoke to me alone and I am refusing to tell them what happened." Dylan snorted.

"You've so lost your touch Logan."

"Not my fault he doesn't listen to me anymore; you must have corrupted him."

"Oh, I have, have I now?!" Spotting movement inside the house he continued: "Call me when you want a ride Dyl and don't leave your backpack anywhere, okay?"

"I won't."

"I have to leave. Logi, are you coming with me? Your Dad really didn't sound too happy earlier."

"I guess. Do you want to meet King? I have to say goodbye to him and Chris before leaving."

"No thank you, I'm going to wait in the car."

"Suit yourself."

"Are you sure they said I could stay?"

"Don't worry, I explained the situation. They weren't too happy about you forgetting your backpack so you are going to hear about that when you get home, but all in all they aren't that angry."

"I have to check with King if I may stay for a few hours: he hasn't really said anything."

"If you don't come out with Logi I'll assume you can stay." Sean hesitated a short moment before ignoring the presence of his best friend and hugging his older brother tightly.

"Thank you Dyl, you are the best."

"I'll remind you of that the next time you have candy, little brother. Now scram!" Dylan watched in fondness his brother spurting into the house closely followed by Donnie. Then he jumped over the fence into the neighbouring yard, deeming it too unsafe to use King's yard to get to his car. He didn't have anything against King per se, but he wasn't up to meeting the man again, just yet. To hear that his little brother's best friend had been taken in under King's wing had been shocking to say the least, especially since he himself had history with said man. Not wanting that to intrude with his little brother's impression of the man, Sean so far didn't not a thing. He could easily see that his brother had been confused by his refusal to meet with King and would no doubt hear about his sudden lack of worrying later, but for now, this was what was best in the teenager's mind.

 **-Principals and mentors-**

King silently watched the two teenage boys wrestle on Donnie's queen-sized bed. At first it looked like Donnie was winning, until Sean suddenly decided he had played enough and gave Donnie a small push that made him tumble to the floor.

"Sorry, sir." Sean apologized when he spotted King. "We didn't mean to make so much noise, we'll settle down immediately.

"It's okay, son. You barely made any noise at all, and factoring in that I love hearing Donovan here, laugh: it's more than okay. While we are at it: Sean, I prefer you being respectful over your first mood, but you don't have to sir me unless you are in trouble, which you aren't at the moment."

"Thank you, King."

"No need to thank me." King smiled. "I hate to interrupt your fun, but lunch is ready and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us to the office? There are a few things I can't take care of here and I thought about asking Chris to bring them over, but as far as I know you've never seen HQ."

"You have to see it Sean!" Donnie exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I would be happy to, King."

"Good. We're leaving as soon as we've eaten."

The boys and King didn't take long eating. Sean offered to do the dishes, but King told him to leave the few pots and pans be. Chris met them at the headquarters.

"If you are going to stick around, I might have to give you a nickname. Problem is I already have Trouble and Trouble Junior, so any ideas?" Donnie smiled appreciatively at his big brother, knowing for a fact that Sean had been worried about Chris rejecting him even after Donnie had reassured him his older brother just needed some time.

"I'd like to, it's not up to me though." Sean responded bitterly.

"Seanie is out of the question, from what I've gathered." King supplied, choosing to steer the conversation away from what seemed like a sensitive topic.

"And you seem to be too calm and level-headed to be called anything with Trouble. What does your parents call you?"

"They don't-they died when I was 9."

"I'm sorry kiddo."

"It's fine. It's been 5 years." Seeing the unasked question in Chris's eyes he continued: "We had no one who could take care of us, so we were put in the foster system. Dylan fought like hell to not get us separated and they listened. We've stayed with the same foster parents for a couple of years now."

"I take it Dylan is your older brother?"

"Yes sir. He is the best in the world. At least in my world. When he turns 18 he'll get custody of me, although our foster parents think he should focus on school."

"What do you guys want to do?"

"No idea, I've never been here before."

"A tour it is then." Chris said and started showing Sean around. Once they were out of earshot Donnie turned towards King:

"Thank you for letting him stay."

"You were already punished and your chores can wait. I know how much you've missed him."

"Still. You didn't have to, but you did."

"I'd like to get to know him as well as his family."

"I have met his foster parents a few times and they are nice so you don't have to worry."

"You are getting too observant Bud."

"Can't help it when I spend my days with you guys, Nate, Mam and Dad."

"You might have a point there." King smiled.

 **A/N: I'm in love with my three new characters and can't wait to write more stories of the adventures they all will get up to sooner or later. AJ from Bullied-the Other Side will also make an appearance sooner or later in either this story or a new one. And just wait until Tony meets the whole gang, who knows what will happen then?! Hope you liked it and as always any reviews are welcomed as a writing boost.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Even though it actually is my birthday I wanted to give you guys a present too, so enjoy!**

"Ready to head home kid?"

"Yeah, I'll just call my brother to come pick me up. Thanks for letting me stay for so long. I had fun."

"I had fun too." Chris smiled widely. "Come back anytime you want."

"I second that." King agreed.

"You've really found the best people, Donnie." Sean said once they were out of earshot.

"They aren't just mine anymore Seanie. Chris even gave you a nickname."

"I guess…"

"What was that about earlier anyway; you sticking around not being your choice?"

"Don't worry Donnie, it's nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing."

"It's nothing." Sean insisted.

"Yet." Donnie filled in.

"Yeah." Sean sighed. "Yet. But please don't worry."

"If you keep me updated."

"Deal."

"When will Dylan be here?"

"He should be here any minute."

"Does he know?"

"I don't know, but no, I don't think so."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Not my place to do so."

"That's a load of crap and we both know it."

"You don't know anything Donnie." Dylan pulled up and honked once so Sean turned around.

"Seanie." Donnie's voice was soft. "Whatever it is you'll always have me, you know that, right?"

"I know. Thanks Donnie." Sean turned around and gave him a brief appreciative smile. "Believe me, I'm grateful for it every day."

 **-P &M-**

"Why do you refuse to meet King and Chris, Dyl?"

"No reason Snoopy."

"There has to be. I've never seen you that rude before unless you've had a reason to be."

"Drop it, little brother."

"Dylan."

"Sean."

"You don't even know them!"

"Oh, I do. I probably know them better than you." The words slipped out of his mouth before Dylan had a chance to think them through.

"You do?!"

"I do." Dylan confirmed shortly.

"Really?!"

"Really."

"What happened?"

"Not everything has to be so dramatic, Sean"

"He really isn't so bad. I thought he was, so I was rude towards him. He realized something was up and we talked. Even Chris that seems so hard and though is really nice when he wants to be."

"I'm happy you two worked it out."

"What's your history with King?"

"I'm not going to tell you, so stop pestering me about it."

"Dylan…"

"Sean! I'm serious. It's between me, Chris and King, Not you! And don't you dare ask them, do you hear me?"

"Yes Dylan." Dylan nodded once before heading inside, leaving Sean standing in the backyard alone.

 **-P &M-**

"Donnie" Donnie came to a halt at the sound of his name and turned questioning eyes towards his mentor. "Come here a second."

"Don't look so scared, you haven't done anything." Chris said and rolled his eyes.

"Your Mom and Dad called, their plane has been cancelled due to strong winds in the area so they won't be home until Tuesday, and that's if everything goes as planned. I'm afraid your options of accommodation are limited to mine or Chris' place, but you can freely choose either option.

"Okay. I don't mind either way."

"You do have all your stuff at my place so it would be the easiest."

"Okay. Do you think Sean could come by again tomorrow? It's been so long since we've been able to meet up two days in a row and you clicked with him, even Chris did! And…"

"Donnie, if it's okay with his parents it's okay with me. Sean can come over anytime he wants to."

"And what did you mean with 'even Chris' huh?!" Chris asked with a mock growl. "Like I don't get along with people."

"You are a tad more challenging to get to know than King, Chris, but Sean really likes you."

"I'm just wary of new people. Especially those that come close to my little brothers. Have you talked to Nate this weekend?"

"I gave him a call yesterday, but forgot to call back so later, so I should probably call him again or he'll think King has killed me."

"Mind giving me a minute with your brother before you hang up? I've tried to reach him, but it's been challenging."

"You aren't angry at Nate, are you?!"

"Not unless he has done something stupid I don't know about, no. I simply want to talk to him, brother to brother, without our intimidating Father hearing every word."

"I'm not that bad." King protested. "But do tell him to give me a call as well in a couple of days: he was hoping to get next weekend of, I want to know if he'll eat lunch with us on Saturday."

"Excuses, pitiful excuses." Chris laughed. "We all know you'd call to confirm the weather if you could. Face it King, you are a true mother hen."

 **-P &M-**

"Nate?"

"Hi Buddy, how did it go with King yesterday?"

"He spanked me and I'm on chore duty."

"So you let him handle it."

"Yeah, I followed your advice."

"Good for you, Donnie."

"Yeah, thanks big brother."

"What's up? You sound kind of weird."

"Sean showed up at King's this morning."

"Really?! Is everything alright with him?"

"For the moment at least."

"What's going on Donnie?"

"He didn't tell me, but something is up."

"Want me to talk to Dylan?"

"No!"

"Take it easy, buddy. I can wait for a week or two if you'd rather."

"I'd rather you never told him."

"I know kiddo, but if Sean is hurting, his brother needs to know. I know I would."

"I really don't know what's going on."

"I'm sure he'll tell you." Nate soothed.

"When are you coming home? King asked you to call him in a couple of days and Chris is getting ready to rip the phone from my hands as we speak."

"It's good to know you guys miss me."

"We really do Natey."

"Well, you don't have to wait that long. Turn around buddy." Donnie did so and dropped the phone to the ground.

"Nate?!"

"Right here buddy."

"Son?"

"Nate?! You are home?!

"Here I am." Nate grinned with an armful of Donnie. "Here I am."

 **-P &M-**

"So what's new?"

"Your parents are stuck at the airport."

"The one week I get time off…"

"They will hopefully be here on Tuesday. You are free to stay with me until then."

"Like he actually has a choice" Chris snorted with a smile. "We both know you won't let him out of your sight for a while."

"Yeah, that's true"

 **-P &M-**

"Never thought I'd see you again."

"Believe me, it wasn't my intention to make it happen, either."

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Dylan quickly replied. This had been a stupid idea. He should have called Sean and have him meet him around the block.

"Don't lie to us, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"You aren't even 18." Dylan glared at Chris, but turned away, prepared to head off.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

"Dylan." Dylan froze.

"Since when do you know my name?"

"Since your brother came into our lives." King calmly explained.

"When did you put the pieces together?"

"Yesterday. We were talking and he mentioned you again so I did some digging. You can probably imagine my surprise when I realized who Dylan Connor truly is." Chris said, his gaze never leaving Dylan's.

"It was years ago."

"That it was, but I still see the same boy as then."

"That's not fair and you know it."

"Why don't you give us a reason for you to turn away from the life you were living, then?"

"Is Sean inside?" Dylan asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, why?"

"Because he is coming with me."

"In a hurry?"

"No, but I bet he is just dying to get rid of us." Dylan nodded towards Chris who still stood leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

"Do you really think I hold a grudge against you, Black Eye?!"

"Yes."

"I don't. And cut the attitude, it isn't helping."

"I can't see how it can make things worse."

"You never told us the whole story, you know. Might be time to do so now to put this behind us once and for all."

"If those are the conditions; no thank you."

"You are welcome back when you decide to tell us the whole story, until then…" King nodded towards the car parked some way down the road.

"I'm not leaving without Sean." King sighed but opened the front door and shouted inside: "Sean! Could you come down here a minute please?"

"Dyl?" Sean asked surprised once he reached the front door. Dylan held up the inhalator in his hand.

"You really need a new backpack, kid, we can't have it falling out all the time. I have an hour before my shift starts, why don't we go get one?"

"But Dyl…"

"Sean. Come on, kid."

"Okay." Sean sighed defeated, I'll go tell Donnie goodbye and grab my backpack."

"I'll wait in the car." As soon as Sean was out of earshot Dylan turned towards King and Chris: "He won't bother you anymore. I'll make sure he stays away from Donnie from now on."


	9. Chapter 9

"I still don't understand" Donnie said softly, turning his back to Nate who suddenly appeared in his doorway.

"I don't either Donnie." Sean said with a sigh. "Dylan is stubborn though, he won't say why, he just told me to leave you be for a while."

"Your brother always has a reason."

"Doesn't help, does it?!"

"No." Donnie hesitated a moment: "Is he mad at me for something?"

"What?! No! You haven't done anything and Dyl knowns it. I don't think he wants me to see King and Chris though."

"Why?!" That sounded even more unlikely to Donnie.

"He has some kind of history with them."

"He has?! I thought he didn't know them."

"So did I. Anyway, I can hear Dylan outside so I have to end this, I'll call later though."

"Okay, try to get him to talk. We need to find a way around it."

"I will, bye."

"Bye"

Donnie turned back around towards his brother who had yet to leave the room.

"So much for everything being alright."

"Dylan says Sean can't come over anymore."

"Why?"

"Because he knows King and Chris, that's all I know."

"That's no reason."

"It is if he doesn't feel welcome around here."

"Has he told you that?" When Donnie shook his head Nate continued: "Then don't assume that is the real reason."

"It probably is, you know how scary Chris can be."

"I also know how nice he can be. All I'm asking you to do Donnie iss to not jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts. Nobody likes to be accused of something."

"You probably think I should talk to them and that that will solve everything once again."

"I don't. Not this time. As I said nobody likes to get accused and whatever it is is between them and Dylan, not Dylan, Sean, you and them. Do you understand me Donovan?"

"Yeah."

"A little more sincerity would be nice."

"Yes sir."

"You better remember Donnie because I don't like repeating myself."

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Sean." Dylan sighed when he received no response from his brother. "Sean, let me in."

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Making your life miserable." Dylan opened the door and gave his brother an unimpressed look.

"I've told you a hundred times that that isn't my intention buddy. I just don't feel comfortable with you around King or Chris and I know they feel the same now that they know who I am. I'm sorry Sean, but I can't let you go over there, not even with Dylan."

"Whatever."

"Sean." The only response Dylan got to that was Sean returning to his book. Giving up Dylan started for the door when Sean's voice caught him off guard:

"What do they think you did?"

"I did it. All three times. But not for the reason they think."

"Why did you do it then?"

"I had my reasons Sean."

"As long as you don't tell me you can't expect me to understand."

"I still think it was the right thing to do Sean, I hope that helps you understand."

"No."

"Bud…"

"I get that you and they don't get along, but what does that have to do with me and Donnie?!"

"I told them you'd be staying away from Donnie."

"Why?"

"They told me I wasn't welcome near Donnie anymore, you are the mini-me, I'm sorry Sean, but you know what that means." Dylan saw the exact moment the words sank in. Sean's face went blank before he tried to cover up the hurt that followed.

"Go away." The words were choked up and Dylan was at loss of what to do. "I said go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry"

"Just go." When Dylan was out of the room Dylan started sobbing. He had believed them, every single word. They had even given him a nickname. He wasn't sure whom he was angrier at; Chris and King for the way they had treated his brother, or Dylan for messing up what he had going for him.

 **-Principals and mentors-**

Donnie sat at the dinner table picking at his food. The conversation flowed on around him, but he didn't pay attention to it.

"Donnie?"

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "Buddy?" King's tone was more insistent this time.

"Sean."

"When is he coming over?"

"He isn't." Donnie stated flatly.

"Did you two have a fight?" Chris asked.

"Noup."

"You do know he is welcome over here?!"

"I do."

"And he doesn't?!" Chris asked having caught onto what Donnie was truly saying.

"I'm not sure."

"Dylan?" Chris asked grimly.

"He says Sean can't come over anymore."

"That's his right buddy." King said before Chris could answer.

"I guess."

"What is it Donnie?"

"Nothing."

"Do we really have to go over the rules again?!"

"No sir. I spoke to Logan who told me what Dylan refuses to say: what you two don't agree on."

"And you think we are being unfair?!"

"Nate says I'm not to judge."

"How much do you know?"

"Logan didn't know much except that Dylan had a good reason for everything he did."

"He has never told us the reason and that is why we don't trust him around you Donnie. We never said anything about Sean though; it was Dylan's own idea to keep you two apart and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about that."

"There has to be! Can't you and Dylan sit down and talk or something?! It's not fair to me and Sean!" Donnie shouted.

"It's not, but the decision to talk has to be Dylan's. We can't force him Donnie."

"So you are simply going to sit there and watch me loose my best friend?! Unbelievable!" Donnie stood up and ran to his room, hearing Nate calling for him but ignoring it. If they weren't going to do something, he would have to do it himself, he wouldn't lose another friend, he couldn't.

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"What are you doing?" Nate's tone suggested that whatever Donnie was doing was ridiculous to say the least.

"I'm packing up and going home."

"Mom and Dad aren't back yet."

"I know."

"Donnie, no. You can't."

"Then I'm going to Sean."

"Planning on moving away from us?!" King's voice echoed in the room, causing Donnie to freeze. "Donnie?" King carefully took the clothes Donnie currently held and placed them on the dresser before taking Donnie by the arm and leading him into his own bedroom and shutting the bedroom door behind them. "Care to explain?"

"You and Chris won't do anything." Donnie finally muttered, eyes on the bedspread.

"Eyes." Donnie's eyes snapped up on their own accord. "Now would you care to repeat that?"

"No." King's hand started massaging his shoulder and Donnie relaxed which made it hard for him to keep being angry. King didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, simply waiting Donnie out.

"You really need a haircut one of these days." King stated casually as he let his other hand run through his boy's fringe. "It's getting too long."

"Don't want one." Donnie muttered without any real heat.

"No?" Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "Scoot back against the headboard, bud." Donnie did that and was joined by King who threw one arm around his shoulders and drew him close. "I know it's frustrating, but I doubt it will last Donnie. Dylan will soon realise that the two of you mean more than his stubborn pride."

"Dylan won't back down easily."

"Then we might have to talk to Ethan and Nancy."

"But you said…"

"We said we wouldn't talk to Dylan since we already tried and he isn't ready for it. Ethan and Nancy are another matter."

"You really would do that? Dylan wouldn't be happy though."

"Dylan's happiness isn't my biggest concern; your is."

"Thanks. I'm sorry for earlier." Donnie looked up shyly through his fringe.

"Thankyou for apologising. Next time though; try to trust us and talk to us before deciding to do something yourself."

"Sorry."

"It's okay, bud." King brushed his hair away from his face. "Do we have an understanding now?"

"Yes sir."

"Good boy, now go apologize to your brothers."

"Yes sir." Donnie scurried of the bed, but not before King managed to land a firm swat to his backside.

"That was for the attitude." King called after the departing boy before sinking back down against the headboard and fished his phone out to look for the information he would need.

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

Standing in front of the light blue house in the small clearing King thought back to the moment Chris had unwillingly came to him with the news:

 _-Flashback-_

" _King, have you got a minute?"_

" _Of course, son. What's on your mind?"_

" _Sean Connor, or to be more precise; his brother."_

" _Dylan?" Chris nodded and put down a rather thick folder on the table. When King's gaze turned questioning Chris explained:_

" _I knew the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it at first."_

" _Have we met him?"_

" _More than once. Just open the folder King, it will explain it better than I could." King did so and got the surprise of a lifetime at the face staring back at him._

" _Black Eye?!" King questioned. "I never thought I'd hear about him again after the last time."_

" _I don't think he is aware of his brother and us."_

" _Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. Not if he is a as thorough brother as he is a thief."_

-Flashback ending-

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The woman who opened the door carefully asked. She had blonde hair and was dressed in a casual outfit of jeans and a T-shirt.

"I'm Dwayne Pride and this is Christopher Lasalle." King introduced them.

"King, Chris." She recognized with a smile. "Sean went on and on about you the other day, you've really made an impression on him. Come on in."

"Thankyou ma'am, we are happy to hear that." King responded.

"Please call me Nancy."

"Only if you call us Dwayne and Chris."

"Deal" She smiled and showed them into a bright living room overlooking part of the surrounding forest. "So, what brings the two of you all the way out here?"

"We would like to have a word with you and your husband as well as Dylan if possible."

"Unfortunately, Ethan is at work right now, he tries not to work weekends but there was some kind of emergency he needed to tend to at work."

"And Dylan?"

"Dylan left a couple of hours ago, he and Sean has been fighting all morning so he needed some fresh air."

"Did they tell you what they were fighting about?"

"No, but I get the feeling you might know."

"We have a pretty good guess at least. Did he tell you were he went? We can chat without Ethan if needed, but Dylan is a key part of the conversation we need to have." In truth King and Chris were wary of Dylan's reaction to his foster parents letting Sean and Donnie meet against his wishes, so they wanted to be there if things got ugly.

"No, he didn't and truth to be told I'm surprised he isn't back yet." Kings phone suddenly rang and he answered it after checking the caller ID"

"Yeah?"

"Can you describe him?"

"Yeah, we'll be there in half an hour, keep him there for me. If necessary, have the guards detain him in my office. And switch out everything he orders to non-alcoholic-he isn't close to 21 yet. Thankyou."

 **A/N: If you are curious about Sean and Dylan there will be more information revealed about them in Typical Teenagers so check that story out if you haven't yet. There will also be a lot more information in the next chapter where their past will be revealed. It will definitely get ugly before it gets better though, and who is at Delilah's? Any guesses?**

 **It has been raining almost non-stop here and it won't let up for some time so if you know any great fanfictions I could read ( preferably discipline fanfictions of some kind ) I would be very thankful for some suggestions!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: A special thanks to my Guest reviewer/reviwers. It's nice to see I still have some people reading this story although it has taken quite the turn from the original storyline I planned. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated. Hope you like the new chapter!**

"I have a feeling you are aware that you by law are too young to drink." The red head froze, the hand holding his glass hoovering mid-air before he put it down with a thud. He was cornered, he knew that running wouldn't be an option. Not when it was Chris and King. Anybody else Dylan might had at least tried to outrun, but Chris and King were as fast as him and right now his disappearing skills were a bit rusty.

"Sean hasn't been able to bother you."

"No, but then again he never was a bother." That got Dylan to turn around for the first time. Angry brown eyes locking with King's. "It was always your choice Dylan. It's you we aren't comfortable having Donnie around, not Sean."

"Since it still is my choice, Sean and Donnie's friendship are on hiatus."

"They are hurting Dylan."

"So was I. I was the same age you know, even slightly younger."

"We know that, but it's not an excuse. I would be the first to admit that mistakes were made if I thought you'd actually listen."

"I've heard enough."

"Not nearly." Taking a look around the half full bar area King decided it was time to move their discussion elsewhere. "You have two choices Dylan; either I arrest you for underage drinking or you come with us for a chat. The choice is yours."

"I don't need any favours."

"It isn't one." Dylan narrowed his eyes as he heard Chris mutter: "Damn right it isn't." under his breath.

"Some choice that is."

"It's the only one you get."

"Fine. I'll come with you."

"Good choice." Chris waisted no time grabbing Dylan's upper arm and leading him out to the car, his grip never wavering.

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"Sit." Chris pushed him kind of roughly into a chair in the middle of the office space, causing Dylan to glare at him. "As far as I'm concerned you can't be trusted to sit there on your own, but King thinks it might refresh your memory of what usually happened when we were called in.

"I remember. It's hard not to." Dylan muttered as the chair he sat in indeed brought back a lot of memories.

"I'm only going to warn you once Dylan: attitude will get you nowhere and we'll know if you are lying so just don't."

"If I remember correctly Chris had a real good way of handling attitude" Dylan snorted bitterly. Chris met his eyes steadily, honestly not sure what the teenager was hinting about. It had to be something Dylan had overreacted to though, because yeah, Chris had been harsh, but he had never been outright mean. "Anyways, what do you want to talk about? I hate to disappoint you, but somebody is bound to soon start missing me."

"You and your brother."

"Why?"

"Because Sherlock, Sean is hurting."

"It will pass."

"Do you really think that's fair to Sean?! You let him and his best friend get together again simply to tear them apart after one day."

"It was hardly my choice."

"Oh it was."

"Did I really have a choice?!" Dylan asked, the honesty shining through making King wonder once more what had gone down all those years ago that could have the teenager react to their presence this way. Dylan had always been the black dot in their past, the one teenager they felt they could have reached but for some reason hadn't been able to. Dylan Connor or Black Eye as Chris had dubbed him wasn't spoken about, he wasn't even mentioned in the passing in their squad room.

"Dylan." Dylan flinched, not used to hearing his own name come out of King's mouth. "It all comes down to the past. Why don't we work through it and get it settled once and for all?! Ignoring it won't make anybody happy."

"Will you let me go then?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"How did you get involved?"

"The first thing they did was to separate us. I was sent to a group home while Sean was placed with a family. We don't have any living family except a godfather whom CPS wouldn't let take custody of us. He tried, but they refused and about a month into it he got transferred across the country. I tried everything to at least get me and Sean back together under one roof, but nobody would listen. Then Ryker introduced me to Miles who promised he would get me and Sean together if I did him some favours."

"Breaking and entering. Vandalism."

"Contrary to what you think I didn't want to do it LaSalle, but it was the only way. Sean doesn't know and if it's up to me he'll never be the wiser. We did damage and I'm not proud of it, but we all did what we had to do at the time."

"Not Miles." Chris pointed out.

"Not Miles, no," Dylan confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell us this back then?" Dylan kept his gaze stubbornly at the door, not wanting to answer that particular question. "You ended up with Sean in the end, how did that happen?" More silence. Dylan's phone suddenly started ringing and the teen swore silently before answering it.

"Speaker." Chris ordered. Dylan glared, but did as he was told.

"Dyl?"

"I'm here Evan."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes sir."

"Where are you?" A big sigh.

"At NCIS."

"In trouble?" Evans voice was still as calm.

"No sir."

"Good. You do know I need more than that though, Buddy."

"It's a really long story Evan."

"I can drive there if you want?" Shooting Chris and King a look he was met with twin nods.

"Okay."

"I'll be there in 30"

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"Sean?" What are you doing here?!"

"Is Chris or King here?"

"No, why?"

"I need a place to stay for a few days"

"I'm stuck here until Friday, Mom and Dad's flight got cancelled once more."

"I would have gone to Logan's but that's the first place they would look."

"You don't think they would look for you here?"

"I'm technically not allowed here so I hope not."

"But why Seanie? I though things were going good?"

"That's what I thought as well, but they are moving to Florida and according to CPS rules they can't take us with them."

"What?! Are you sure?"

"I am. I heard Nancy and Evan talk about it a week ago and then again a few days ago. Yesterday they talked about it again. Everything is settled, the move is happening in two weeks."

"I'm so sorry Sean." Donnie noticed for the first time the rain pouring down and his best friend's soaked clothes. "Come on in, you'll catch your death out there."

"I'm fine."

"No, you are soaked. Chris and King didn't say when they'll be back, but jump into mine and Nate's shower, I'll get you some dry clothes."

"Donnie, you can't tell them I'm here."

"I know."

"Maybe I could hide in your house instead, especially since your parents are gone."

"You could, but Nate took my key…aww shit, Nate! I've totally forgotten about him."

"Donnie?" Donnie pushed Sean into the hall closet moments before Nate appeared at the bottom of the staircase. "What's going on? Who was at the door?"

"Nobody, it must have been some kids joking around."

"I thought I heard voices."

"You must be hearing things Nate."

"If you are sure…" Nate said suspiciously. "You should head to bed soon, it's getting late."

"You aren't my boss." Donnie dared say, still a bit mad at Nate for ordering him around earlier.

"Would you like to repeat that?!"

"They didn't tell me to go to bed."

"No, because they knew I would make sure you went to bed at a reasonable time. If you want to challenge me, you are free to do so, but not without consequences."

"I'll go to bed." Donnie said.

"Good night buddy."

"Night." Nate gave him a last look Donnie wasn't quite sure how to interpret before making his way back upstairs. Once Nate was out of sight Donnie opened the door to the hall closet.

"Sorry. Nate was coming. Come on, let's get you into a hot shower." Donnie realized as he helped Sean to his feet that the other boy was breathing extremely heavy for somebody who had been sitting for a while. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. Where are you going to hide me?"

"Under my bed, I think. Tony has bunk beds in his room so you could always move there tomorrow night but there is a risk Chris or King will open the door and find you."

"I don't want to risk that…your room is fine." Donnie followed Sean into the bathroom he and Nate shared, grabbing his phone from the charger as he passed by his room. It was bound to start ringing soon and then he'd need Sean's help to keep calm.

"I think I got it from here Donnie." Sean said humouredly.

"Not that I don't believe you but Nate will notice if the shower is running but I'm in my room, I'll just sit by the door with my back towards you and you do have the shower curtain to use."

"True. You don't happen to have a towel I could lend by any chance, do you?"

"Since it's you, yes I do." Donnie grabbed a towel from the rack and threw it in Sean's direction.

"Thanks." Once Sean was done showering Donnie led him to his room where he picked out some dry clothes for Sean to wear. Then he collected all the pillows from his bed and the comforter and placed them under his bed.

"There are some extra blankets in the hall closet, scoot on under the bed and I'll bring you some. Donnie returned barely a minute later to find Sean already fast asleep. Listening to his wheezing intakes of air, Donnie tucked the two extra blankets over his best friend. Feeling his phone vibrate in his back-pocket Donnie answered it:

"Hello"

" _Donnie, it's Logan. Is Sean at your place?"_

"Depends on who is asking."

" _Me. Nancy called me a moment ago to ask if Sean was here. What's going on?"_

"I think Sean should be the one to tell you."

" _Hand him the phone would you?"_

"He's asleep."

" _Do any grown ups know?_

"No. King and Chris aren't home yet."

" _I take it Sean wants to keep it that way?"_

"Yeah."

" _Okay then, would you mind if I came over tomorrow after school?"_

"No, it's fine."

" _Thanks. Oh, and you should probably text Nancy with Sean's phone, she sounded really worried."_

"I'll do that. See you tomorrow" Donnie careful to not wake Sean rummaged through Sean's backpack, happy that Sean had been careful enough to bring his inhaler with him and his phone. Sean's phone was locked per usual, but Donnie knew his password and made short work of unlocking it. Rummaging through the contacts he found Nancy's number and quickly wrote _: 'I'm safe, don't worry'._ Donnie figured that it at least would still Nancy's worry for the night. Rethinking it he quickly added _: 'sleeping at a friend's house tonight'_. He had met Nancy a lot during the years and knew that despite everything going on she really cared for Sean. If they really were moving it wouldn't have been an easy decision. Listening to Sean's heavy breathing Donnie wondered if he should wake him to make sure he had used his inhaler, but decided against it. He wouldn't go to sleep either way, not with Sean to worry about.

-Principal's and mentors-


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: I am aware that I changed Ethan's name. The original plan was Evan but then I realized that McClure has Ethan and Nancy as a couple in her stories so I changed it to Ethan but it simply didn't work with my Evan person. And sorry for the long wait!_

"Evan Collins." The thirty-six-year-old man introduced himself as he walked into the squad room after the guard who had let him in.

"Dwayne Pride, you probably know me as King though, and this is my partner Christopher LaSalle."

"Sean can't stop talking about you."

"He is a great kid."

"So is Dylan. Me and my wife are grateful each day for our boys." The protectiveness in Evan's voice wasn't hard to hear. "Speaking of, where is Dyl?"

"He went to the toilet."

"King assured me he wouldn't run now that you were on your way."

"Did he try to run?"

"Not yet."

"I take it you knew Dylan before me and my wife came into the picture."

"You could say that."

"It's probably best letting Dylan share his side of the story first, that is after all why we are here."

"Sounds good to me. I do want to thank you though for taking care of Sean. Meeting Donnie again meant a lot to him."

"We were happy to."

"Dad!" Dylan blushed as he realized he had spoken the words out loud. He had only called Evan that a handful of times before and wasn't sure how he or Evan for that matter really felt about it.

"Lion. Are you okay?"

"Yes sir."

"King says you have a story to tell us."

"Yeah." Dylan sighed. "You know me and Sean were separated before coming to you, right?"

"I do."

"…"

"Dyl?"

"I know you won't approve but back then it seemed like the only way."

"Go on."

"I did some stupid stuff. King and Chris were the ones who caught me."

"I know you have a record, I've seen it, but I've never pressured you to share the entire story. It might be time to do so now though."

"It's not easy to explain."

"I bet it isn't." Evan answered kindly, squeezing the teenager's shoulder gently. "But I think it might release some of the weight you carry on your shoulders. It's still up to you though as it is your story to share."

"Okay…" Dylan finally agreed and took a deep breath before starting to explain: "As I said me and Donnie were separated as soon as we were put into the system. Donnie was put into a foster family while I was placed into a group home. I tried everything I could to get us back together but nobody would listen. They had too much on their plates already. That's how I met Miles. Ryker, the only friend I had found in the group home introduced me to him after hearing about me and Donnie. Miles promised to get us back together if I did him a few favours."

"Breaking and entering as well as vandalism." Chris stated, once again showing how much he disapproved of Dylan's decisions.

"As I've said a hundred times; I had my reasons LaSalle. You might not like them, or agree with them, but they are my reasons."

"You are right: I don't agree with them, not the least." Chris and Dylan stared at each other, neither one wanting to break eye contact first.

"I'm going to need a bit more than that Dyl." Evan interjected.

"I was 14, young and stupid, but everything I did, I did for Donnie."

"Just tell us the story, son."

 _-Flashback-_

" _Dylan, through here!" Ryker called out in a whisper from around the corner. Carefully making his way over to his friend Dylan spotted the same entrance that Ryker had: an unlocked cellar window. Ryker took the lead and slipped through with a little difficulty. Dylan followed, having a far easier time getting through the window. He didn't eat more than he needed to survive and it was clear to anybody who took a closer look that his time in foster care hadn't done him any good. He and Ryker were the smallest in the gang and therefor the ones who usually took turns opening the door for the rest once any alarms had been taken care of. Trent and Miles were big guys: built to lift the heavy stuff. Zach and Seth stood guard a few hundred feet away, each covering a potential exit if something went south. Dylan followed Seth to the front door and grinned at his friend before opening the front door only to be held at gunpoint._

" _What the…?!"_

" _Hands up and freeze." Dylan started doing just that, but seeing the man lowering his weapon slightly, he kicked out and hit the weapon hard enough for the man to lose his grip and fumble._

" _Run!" Dylan was vaguely aware of the man swearing before starting to chase him through the house. Dylan climbed out the same way he had entered with practiced ease. Hearing the footsteps closing in he ducked behind what looked like a garden shed. Too bad for him it resulted in him coming face to face with a gun once more._

" _Hands up, son. The game is over." Dylan casting a glance behind him saw the angry young man he had kicked pointing a gun at him as well._

" _Don't even think about it." He warned tersely. "My patience is running thin. Move one muscle and I won't hesitate to shoot." Dylan slowly put his hands up. The younger man wasted no time roughly grabbing his wrists and handcuffing them tightly._

" _NCIS. You are under arrest."_

" _Are you okay Chris?"_

" _I will be as soon as we get this one to talk."_

 _Flashback ending-_

"Not a great start." Evan observed.

"Not really no." King agreed. "To top it off Dylan decided to not say a word."

-Flashback-

" _I'm done with him!" Chris slammed the folder down onto his desk before turning towards King." Black Eye won't talk and the only clue I even have to his identity is that the rest of them are foster kids. Everyone except the ringleader. "_

" _Black Eye?!"_

" _He has one. And besides it's not like he'll introduce himself anytime soon."_

" _Okay then. Black Eye won't talk but the others have said plenty. None of which I believe, but this was never our case Chris. They broke into our suspects house but they have no connection to our murderer."_

" _What are you saying?"_

" _The court will let them off with a slap on the wrist so it might be best to let this case be. Send the kids back to their case worker and hope we never cross paths with them again."_

" _Not every troubled kid is like me King. At least Black Eye will do it again."_

" _I'm not so sure."_

" _I am."_

 _Barely three weeks later it would turn out that Chris was right._

" _Looks like the Kid's tip paid off"_

" _Don't look too happy Chris. You don't know that Black Eye is with them."_

" _He is." Chris stated with certainty before kicking in the door and taking four kids by surprise. "You are under arrest. Again." Even though Chris was speaking to them all his eyes were trained on the redhead that this time instead of a black eye had an angry looking cut on his chin and a matching one on his left forearm._

-Flashback ending-

"Thinking back, you were hurt in one way or another every time we caught you. Did the break-ins really go bad that often?!"

"The first time I spoke up against Miles' plan. His two main underdogs didn't appreciate it. The second time Miles had gotten a hunch that somebody was feeding the Police intel. The most logical solutions in his brain was to cut us up until we confessed. He realized halfway through that he still needed us." Evan squeezed Dylan's shoulders tightly once more. He had hoped against hope that Dylan's wouldn't have encountered any abuse during his time in foster care.

"Why didn't you speak up, son? All they did was to hurt you."

"I don't know."

"I think you do."

"How many times did King and Chris catch you?" Evan asked once realizing that his teen was done talking.

"Three in total. Four if you count the time we slashed Chris's tires."

"I bet there are plenty more that we don't know about." Dylan squirmed uncomfortable. He knew he would have to tell Evan later. The older man had perfected the art of reading him like an open book the past three years.

"I for one would like to know why you slashed Chris's tires." Evan said, giving Dylan a look. Yep, he was doomed to have to explain himself later.

"It was after he caught us the second time. Miles was pissed and a pissed off Miles wasn't good for any of us so Zach came up with the idea to slash the tires on Chris's car."

"Why Chris'?"

"Because he is an ***"

"Language." Evan reprimanded with a hint of sternness.

"We all knew it was because of Chris we got caught, no offense Agent Pride, so we wanted some kind of revenge. One late night we snuck in here and I got elected to do it. So I got down onto my knees and slashed the first tire easily with my pocket knife. When I slashed the second one though it became painfully clear that we weren't unnoticed anymore. I was the only one caught though for some odd reason and it was me who had to pay the price."

"It could have been worse."

"I don't see how."

"How come Dyl was the only one caught?" Evan asked, having picked up on what Dylan was hinting.

"He was pushed down by Trent. Made to take the fall."

"What happened once he got arrested?"

"Dylan had to pay for Chris' tires by washing his car for a month."

"Before you ask; the Judge agreed."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"We knew he was set up so we wanted to go easy on him."

"We also thought that if we spent some one on one time with him, he might open up."

"Too bad the opposite happened."

"You know why." Dylan accused.

"I don't." Chris stated firmly, looking confused.

"I think we need to hear the story boys."

-Flashback-

 _Dylan glared at Chris while washing the car he had slashed the tires of two days ago. The tires had already been replaced, but the scowl on Chris's face told him they hadn't been forgotten yet. Or forgiven for that matter._

" _13, huh? Was that really so hard for you to tell us?!"_

" _It's not like you asked nicely." Dylan answered tensely. He knew what Miles would do if he found out he had talked to Christopher Lasalle and he wasn't about to pay that prize. They couldn't hurt Sean, that was the only good thing about it all. Miles could however make sure he and Sean stayed separated instead of getting the brothers reunited._

" _You keep trying my patience boy and I'll show you mean." Dylan ducked his head and quietly continued washing the car. "Are you done soon? I don't have the whole day to sit here and watch you wash my car."_

" _Funny, here I thought you got paid and all for making other's lives miserable."_

" _You've made your own life miserable Black Eye, I had nothing to do with that." Chris turned his back towards Dylan at that point so he never saw the comment hit home. Dylan squeezed the sponge in his closed fist until it was all out of water, when it didn't help the least though he after checking with a glance that Chris still had his back turned, quickly wiped his tears and continued washing the car. Dylan eventually finished it without a word._

" _Are you finished?" King had snuck up on him and Dylan didn't like it one bit._

" _Yes sir."_

" _We'll take you back then. Hopefully you have learned something today."_

" _Trust me, I have."_

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! A big thankyou to everyone who reviewed last time: your comments mean the world to me!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: First of all; I'm sorry and I'm grateful. Sorry for my lack of updates, but really grateful for the comments! I've started University recently and on top of that I've been pretty sick so the energy level has been lower than low. I'm feeling better though and full of inspiration, so hopefully that will last.**

"I never meant to hurt you" Chris stated with such certainty that Dylan almost believed him for a moment. Almost.

"What about all the other times then?!"

"You mean the times you were moody and tried to make our lives as hard as possible? Or the times you tried to run or deceive us? Or maybe you are referring to the time you betrayed us?" Chris challenged. Dylan ducked his head at that.

"I didn't think I had a choice."

"I've heard that statement too much lately." King groaned at the same time as Chris said:

"That's no excuse you can just throw around when you feel like it. Sooner or later you are going to have to own up to your mistakes Dylan."

"Like you are so good at doing?!"

"I told you I never meant anything by it."

"Figures that the great Christopher Lasalle can lecture about apologies but not make one himself."

"Fine! I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, it wasn't my intention."

"Dylan." Evan prompted when the teen didn't open his mouth to accept the apology.

"Not accepted."

"Dylan Christopher Joshua Connor. He apologized." Dylan wanted to say something mouthy about Chris doing it to look good, but previous moments of less self-control had taught him just what Evan would do and say if he dared.

"Okay." Dylan got out in a voice that was barely a whisper.

"Okay?! You've got to be kidding me kid! First you all but demand an apology and when you do all you can say is okay?!"

"Christopher, calm down or go outside." The last thing King wanted was more harsh words uttered in a heated moment. Chris looked ready to protest, but much like Dylan he reigned in his temper a bit.

"I think we are all tired here, maybe it would be better to continue this once we've all had a good night's sleep." Evan proposed.

"Maybe you are right. And Dylan, I too apologize if something I've said made you think I hate you or think that I thought the position you were put in only was because of your own choices. I don't and it didn't. You were dealt a bad hand and I for one am happy that you found Evan and Nancy to help you through your last teenage years."

"Thanks." Dylan looked at him shyly for a moment, a tiny half smile-half grimace on his face, before running a tired hand over his face. "I wouldn't mind some sleep."

"It's settled then. Could you come in tomorrow again?"

"Of course, I have the day off actually so whenever you want to."

"Afternoon okay?"

"Yeah, three o'clock?"

"Perfect. See you guys tomorrow."

"See…" Evan's reply was cut of by his phone ringing. "Honey?"

"I'm sure he's okay. When did you last see him?"

"We'll be home soon, call his friends for the time being though, okay?"

"Logan didn't know?!"

"We'll come as soon as we can, try not to panic. Love you. Bye."

"What's going on?" Dylan asked as soon as Evan ended the call.

"Sean's missing. He left without telling Nancy."

"He's probably at a friend's place."

"He's not at Logan's. He and his parents made it home just moments ago."

"Donnie's?"

"Donnie is still staying at my house." King cut in. "If you feel better though, we can always drive by the Williams's house and have a look in case he went there first. He might not know that Donnie still is staying with me. Nathan is at my place as well so I can give him a call and check if Sean has shown up."

"I'd be grateful"

"Hopefully he is simply sleeping over at a friend's house."

"Let's hope"

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Morning Donnie" Donnie stopped in his tracks staring at his oldest brother surprised.

"Chris?!"

"We got done pretty late last night, King thought it would be best if I slept here for the night." Chris answered Donnie's unvoiced question.

"Okay." Trying to appear normal the blonde teen sat himself down at the breakfast table and started preparing a sandwich.

"Are you angry with me?" Chris asked several minutes later when Donnie hadn't made any attempts to have a conversation.

"No!" Donnie answered startled out of his thoughts. "I was just thinking."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Morning." Nate greeted the trio, effectively saving Donnie from having to answer.

"Morning buddy."

"Morning Nate."

"Morning." Donnie mumbled.

"Aah, so it's not me you are sore at but your brother." Chris decided.

"We had a small run-in." Nate admitted. "I handled it though."

"The right way?"

"The right way King."

"We'll discuss that later, for now though there is something we should talk about: Donnie, Sean has been missing since last night"

"I know, Logan called me last night. Told me not to worry though, so I guess he is at a friend's house. He probably needed some space from his brother." Donnie gave Nate a look that spoke volumes.

"Don't you even think about it! That's not the solution and you know it! If you are mad at me you talk it out with me, running is never the answer."

"I didn't say that!"

"You indicated it."

"I indicated that big brothers can be royal pains sometimes."

"That's enough! Both of you calm down or go stand in separate corners." When both boys quieted, King continued: "Have you heard anything from Sean, Donnie?"

"He hasn't called or texted me since we spoke the other day. I knew he was mad at Dylan, but I had no idea he was going to do something that drastic." Donnie answered honestly. "That reminds me, Logan asked to come over later, we might be able to come up with some ideas of where Sean might be if we put our heads together."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"I'm going to head to the office" Chris stated after downing the rest of his coffee in one go. "Somebody might have seen him."

"I'll call Evan in a minute, but I don't think they have heard anything more."

"They heard from him last night?" Nate questioned. "Why is he considered missing then?"

"Because he only texted Nancy that he is safe and at a friend's house, not where he is or when he is coming home. And he knows better than to take off, my intuition is telling me it isn't simple forgetfulness at play here."

"Do you need help locating him?"

"I'm sure Evan and Nancy would appreciate it. Donnie, if you hear from Sean try to get him to go home. Everybody is worried sick. If nothing else, ask him where he is, okay?"

"Yes sir"

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"Sean" Donnie whispered coming into his room late afternoon, Logan right behind him. It had been a way too long day at school for Donnie's liking, especially since Sean hadn't looked much better this morning than he had last night. The only thing keeping Donnie from cutting school had been how suspicious it would have looked.

"Under your bed." Sean rolled out from under Donnie's bed with a slight grimace. "Man, it's getting more and more uncomfortable under there."

"I bet, there are other hiding spots too though, like my closet. You might be more comfortable in there."

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather stay out in the open for now."

"What happened Sean? And why didn't you tell me?!"

"Nanc and Ev are moving to Florida, they can't take us with them."

"Oh, buddy."

"I don't want your pity Logan, and the reason I didn't tell you Logi-bear is that I didn't want to put you in the position where you would have to lie to Dylan."

"He's worried sick. Everybody is pretty sure you have taken off." Sean ducked his head. "I'm not trying to scold you Sean, I'm just pointing things out."

"I guessed they would be worried, but I don't want me and Dylan to get separated again."

"Running away isn't the answer"

"It is for me."

"Sean…"

"Come on guys, don't fight. And Sean you still look pale, are you sure you are feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. Are your parents still coming home tonight?"

"Yes, but it will be late so I'm spending the night here."

"Okay then, I'll sneak off early tomorrow morning and try to find something more permanent."

"You can stay at our house. I'll sneak you in while Mom and Dad are out."

"I don't want you to have to lie to your parents."

"After all the lies lately I don't think one more will matter."

"I'm lost." Logan announced.

"I got into trouble with your Dad as you know. Me and an acquaintance were responsible for the cheating ring everybody whispered about." Dylan whistled surprised.

"I had no idea that was you. Pretty genius if you ask me."

"Your Dad didn't think so."

"Probably not, no."

"Sean, seriously. You can even climb through my window if you'd like, but please. I can't let you go on your own."

"Only until I find somewhere more permanent to settle down."

"When you do, you let me know, okay?!" Logan requested. "And text Dylan before he does something stupid. He thinks you ran away because you were upset with him."

"He didn't make the situation better."

"But he didn't cause it either."

"Fine. I'll text him."

 **-Principals and mentors-**

"Dinner, Sean." Donnie held out a plate of leftovers he had managed to sneak upstairs. You can eat in the bathroom while I shower if you like, it might be a bit more comfortable."

"It's just a simple cold." Sean protested. "You don't have to worry so much."

"You are my best friend, I have to worry about you."

"Okay, I'll eat in there, but I don't want to get soaked."

"I'll try my best." Donnie promised with a smile.

"Donnie?!" Sean quickly scrambled under the bed, plate off food disappearing with him. King gave him a curious look. "What are you doing?"

"I was just about to take a shower."

"I thought we could talk for a few minutes."

"Oh, okay."

"How are you feeling?"

"I don't know?"

"Nervous about facing your parents?"

"A little bit." Donnie admitted quietly. "They won't be happy."

"They will get over it soon enough and you all will move on."

"I guess."

"You know, if you ever want to spend the night here, it's totally okay to ask. You don't have to wait for a special occasion."

"Thanks, I'd like that."

"I'd like it as well. I'm going to miss having you under the same roof. I got spoiled during the last few days."

"Not that spoiled, after all I did get into quite a bit of trouble."

"Which gave us a chance to talk."

"Sometimes it feels like all I do is cause you trouble."

"It may feel that way Buddy, but it isn't. With me and Chris unusually busy the past month we haven't had much free time to spend with you. That's our fault and that's one of the reasons I'd like you to sleep over every once in a while, without making it a big deal. Just the two of us catching up."

"What about Chris?"

"He might be allowed to join us a few times, but I'd like to spend some one on one time with you too." King tickled Donnie lightly, causing the first smile of the day to appear on his face. "I love you buddy. Good night" King drew him close to his side and dropped a kiss to the unruly hair before leaving Donnie with his thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Sean whispered hesitantly from under the bed.

"I guess." Donnie blushed a little, he had already forgotten that Sean was under there. "Did you get hurt when you scrambled under there?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Sean stuck his head up from under the bed to look at Donnie. "That was a pretty heavy talk."

"I've had loads worse, especially when I first came to stay with King. And talks with Chris are always hard."

"Why?"

"Because when you hurt him and he shows it, you've really hurt him. It doesn't happen easily, but once it has happened he won't let it slide with any old apology."

"I think Evan's a lot like King while Chris and Dylan are quite alike." Sean surprised them both by saying.

"You are going to miss them, aren't you?"

"I…I already do."

"Have you checked your phone today?"

"No, I turned it off so it can't be traced. I'm kind of surprised they haven't traced it here yet."

"Patton is out of town and the whole system is going through some kind of update so it's basically down for the reminder of the week. I heard King and Chris talk about it yesterday."

"Good, then I should be able to use it for a while undetected."

"I guess so." Donnie answered hesitantly.

"You should probably go shower before King starts wondering what's keeping you."

"Yeah, you are right."

"Hey Donnie"

"Yeah?" Donnie paused his hand on the doorknob.

"Thankyou. I know the position I put you in and I'm sorry."

"It's fine Sean, you would do the same for me."

"I would, in a heartbeat." He then grimaced. "That might be hard to do though for a while."

"Yeah…" Donnie opened the door and walked out into the hallway, the reality of Sean's plan slowly catching up with him.

 **A/N: Hope you liked it! What are you most excited for int the upcoming chapters? Dylan, Sean or Donnie stuff?**


	13. Chapter 13

"I don't think now is the right time to do this, not with Sean missing." Dylan announced the second he sat a foot inside the NCIS-building.

"I disagree." Chris stated before anybody else had the chance.

"Of course, you do."

"You and I don't get along Dylan, mending a few fences might be just what you brother needs to come back home."

"So you are blaming me for Sean running off?!"

"No! Of course not! Sean is a teenager; nobody knows what is going through his head. What I'm saying though is that it won't hurt if we get through this once and for all."

"Okay." Dylan sighed resigned. He and Evan had talked on the way home last night. Evan had kept quiet at first, letting Dylan start off the conversation…

 **-Flashback-**

" _Are you mad?"_

" _No, bud. I'm not."_

" _I did what I did because it seemed like the only way."_

" _I know."_

" _It felt good to slash Chris's tires, I knew it wasn't right, but it felt good. Him coming after us had caused Miles to lash out on us every way possible. I was angry and scared, so I did what they told me to do. As I said, I learned really fast that questioning them wasn't worth it."_

" _Chris's comment really bothered you if you've hold onto it this long."_

" _I blamed myself for getting separated from Donnie, I thought it was my fault. That our godfather Josh couldn't get custody of us haunted me as well for a long time."_

" _It wasn't anything you did or didn't do kiddo. I hope you know that now."_

" _I do, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful every single day for having ended up with you and Nancy."_

" _We feel the same way Lion, you know we both love you and Sean as if you were our own flesh and blood." Dylan could only nod, trying to hold back tears. The emotional night had taken it's toll on him no matter how little he wanted to show it. "And if you ever want to, on your own terms, we don't expect it, but if you ever want to call us some form of Mom and Dad we'd be more than happy for you to do so."_

" _You really wouldn't mind?"_

" _Not the least buddy. In fact, we'd be honoured. It has to be because you want to though. I know you had biological parents that loved you very much and we'd never want you to feel like we are trying to take their place in your heart."_

" _I…I really think they are happy for us. They would have liked you. You and Dad are kind of similar."_

" _I take that as a compliment, from what I've heard he was a great person, both of your parents were."_

" _Thank you for taking us in. You changed our lives in so many ways."_

" _No thanks needed, the day after we had gotten you, we couldn't imagine life without you."_

" _Do you blame me for Sean taking off?" Dylan asked hesitantly a moment later._

" _No! Don't even think that! Argument or not, Sean knows better than to take off. You are not responsible for his actions Dyl."_

" _Thankyou."_

" _Again, no need to thank me. I don't like what this situation has done to you buddy. You don't have to be scared or uncertain around me or Nanc. We are here for the long run. Trust us Lion."_

" _There are more times than Chris and King knows about."_

" _I had a feeling. Thanks for telling me though. I really appreciate you doing so." Evan's kind eyes met Dylan's and as the pair made it out of the car and up the walkway to the house Dylan grateful leaned into the arm that was thrown across his shoulders, thanking his lucky stars for the man walking next to him._

-Flashback ending-

"I'm sorry for slashing your tires, I'm not sure I ever apologized."

"Thank you for the apology." King leaned against his desk. "Something that has puzzled me for years is that Ryker ended up making a deal with us and you knew that, we even offered you a deal. Why didn't you take it?"

"I was scared that it was a trap at first. That if I plead guilty, I'd end up in Juvenile. When Ryker months later sent me a letter saying it had worked out for him, I was too proud and stubborn to reach out to you again. And before you think I was selfish I'd rather have had a bad deal with Miles than risk losing Sean forever."

"I wish you would have trusted us. It would have saved you a lot of pain."

"I didn't know it then. And I'm sorry…" Dylan blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry for misusing your trust."

"Why did you?"

"The same reason as everything else. When you told me all I had to do was give you one chance I was about to listen to you but I changed my mind in the last minute and chickened out. It wasn't meant to be a trap, I simply chickened out."

"So that's why there was such a lovely welcoming once we arrived?!" Chris asked sarcastically.

"Seth had seen me head that way and decided to come after me in case I would do something stupid. The others came looking for us once they realized we weren't were we were supposed to be so I panicked and told them I was setting up a trap for you guys."

"Didn't Seth know about your plan to tell us?"

"No. I told him I needed some space and once the rest of the gang showed up he bought the same excuse; that I had my own personal reasons for wanting to get back at Chris for making me wash his car. Somebody had left rotten fruit in the storage room, conveniently enough, which served as good enough proof of my plan."

"You are telling me they bought that crappy excuse?!" Chris stated unbelieving.

"I wasn't exactly singing your praises back then. Everybody knew the two of us hated each other, there wasn't a thought in anybody's mind that I would cooperate with you."

"I never hated you Dylan."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing my real name coming from your lips."

"You could have used it to begin with and you might already have." Chris pointed out.

"There are still some things I don't understand Dylan; we were hard on you, but never mean, so why do you seem to remember it so differently?"

"I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"Why don't you start with my way of handling attitude?" Chris had steeled himself for whatever long forgotten memory of a badly handled situation the kid would bring out, so he felt like it was a good place to start.

 **-Flashback-**

" _You don't have any proof!"_

" _Sit your butt down."_

" _No!" Chris whirled the teen around to stare straight into his eyes._

" _Excuse me?!" Dylan was angry, but not stupid so he turned his gaze down. "That's what I thought."_

" _You are a bully!" Dylan spat out as he was pushed non too gently into the chair in the middle of the squad room, His cuffed wrists getting cuffed to the chair._

" _I'm nothing of that sort Black Eye"_

" _You picked me out of the street for no reason!"_

" _Don't pretend like you don't know why."_

" _I don't!"_

" _So this isn't your backpack then?!" Dylan blanched at the sight of his priced possession. His backpack that had been forgotten during their last job._

" _Even if it is you can't prove it. Besides I threw mine away weeks ago, one of the shoulder straps was about to snap."_

" _Is that why we found it at our crime scene?!"_

" _I wasn't there!"_

" _Oh you weren't? Then where were you? Nobody at the group home saw you at the time."_

" _Mrs. Manning needs glasses. She wouldn't notice me if I stood in front of her."_

" _Enough with your excuses Black Eye."_

" _Why do you keep calling me that?!"_

" _Seems suitable enough for a criminal."_

" _You little…"_

" _Don't do anything you'll regret. And thankyou for the trap last week, you know I think the tomato juice has turned my hair red for good. Anyway, I'm through giving you chances. If I can pin this last break in on you, you'll end up in Juvie, mark my words."_

" _You can't!"_

" _Have you forgotten who the law is here? I can and I will."_

" _No!" Dylan trashed around on the chair trying to get to Chris but found himself stuck._

" _You had a chance Black Eye but you blew it. And you should be happy I cuffed your handcuffs to the chair so you wouldn't try to punch me. Assault of an NCIS agent isn't something the judge would look too kindly at"_

 **-Flashback-**

"Was that your last altercation?" Evan wondered.

"Until a few days ago; yes."

"I'm trying hard not to judge you Agent Lasalle, but why did you feel the need to be so hard on my son?"

"Dylan had gotten about five chances at that point. Every single time he had given us attitude, refused to speak or otherwise tried to slow us down as much as possible. He had basically made it his mission to make our job as hard as he could. Bear in mind too that I had no idea who he was at the time or why he was part of the gang. All I saw was a scrawny teenager going down a path nobody should. It might seem like I was mean to him, but in truth, even though we batted heads, I had gotten too close to let him continue destroying his life." Chris paused to step closer to Dylan. "I was part of a gang in Alabama when I grew up. I know how fast it can escalate. I was lucky enough to get pulled out in time by our local sheriff. He took me home to my Pa who set me straight. Back then I didn't realize it and was far from happy about the whole situation. A few years later though I thanked the same sheriff for saving me after I watched my so-called friends from the gang get arrested and thrown in jail the same day as I graduated high-school."

"You're saying you did it out of concern?! But you hate me!"

"Once again, I don't hate you, I never have. I promised the Sheriff when I thanked him that I would pay it forward, you were me trying to do that. I tried talking to you calmly the first time, even the second time. When you still refused to talk or even listen, I knew I needed to be firmer to even have a chance at getting the gang out of your head."

"Chris saw himself in you." King explained. "He got frustrated because he saw who you could be if you wanted to. We had no idea why you continued going down that road."

"Really?"

"Really, kid."

"But why be so hard on me years later?"

"We had no idea what you were doing with your life. We couldn't risk Donnie."

"I'm sorry for all the harsh words. I wanted to tell you everything, but I was scared I'd lose Sean forever if I did."

"I get that now, and I'm sorry too, there were situations I could have handled differently. How about putting the past behind us and starting over?" Chris offered him his hand questioningly. Dylan looked shocked for a moment before shaking it with a relieved smile.

"Sounds good to me."

"Same goes for me Dylan. Now that we've talked through it, I'm comfortable letting the past stay in the past." Dylan and King shook hands as well. Dylan smiling big for the first time in days.

"You know Sean really likes you." Dylan told Chris.

"He is a great kid. So are you under that though façade."

"I really appreciate you looking for Sean."

"No worries, kid."

"No more Black Eye, huh?"

"I think we'd better find you a more suitable nickname" Chris reached out and ruffled the teens hair lightly. He had no idea how the teen would react, but he reminded him of Donnie in a way. Looking for attention in any way possible simply to be near them. "I can see why he calls you Lion with this mop of hair."

"It used to be longer."

"Don't tell me Sean cut it off while you were asleep."

"He wouldn't have dared." Dylan hesitated for a moment before continuing. "You know in a really weird way you and King were the only stable thing in my life those years."

"I had a feeling that was at least part of why you always acted up around us. We were your only outlet."

"I guess so."

"Your kid brother and my kid brother are best friends, you know, that means that you are stuck with me again."

"I don't think I'll mind it so much this time around."


	14. Chapter 14

"Care to explain?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not what it looks like?"

 _-Flashback-_

" _Are you sure you'll be okay for a few hours until I get it all set up?" Donnie asked Sean once more._

" _I'll be fine. I'd rather not overhear that particular conversation between you and your parents. I've been thinking and I believe it would be better for everybody if I spend another night here."_

" _King might not have an alarm system that alerts him if somebody is in the house, but if you open a window or door to the outside he will come in with a gun in his hands. Trust me on that."_

" _I know. But think about it, it's the perfect plan. It will give you and your parents some privacy, and I won't have to look out for Nate all the time. He has been way too close to finding out about me being here more than one time."_

" _Okay." Donnie sighed. Changing the subject completely he asked: "Have you checked your phone today?"_

" _No. I can't seem to muster up the courage to turn it on. What if they haven't tried to reach me?!."_

" _They have."_

" _I'm still not sure it wouldn't be better to let it be. If they haven't…"_

" _What if I turn it on and check? Please."_

" _Okay…" Sean tentatively handed over his phone to Donnie who wasted no time turning it on. Finding several unopened messages Donnie read them out loud:_

" **Sweetie, please keep yourself safe. We all love you and want you home with us. Whatever it is we'll get through it. Nanc."**

" **Come on Seanie, I know you are angry, but don't do this to yourself. If something happened to you I'd never be able to forgive myself."**

" **We aren't angry Sean. Whenever you feel ready to come back home the door is open. We still want you kiddo, we always will."**

" **Me, Chris and King talked and made peace so if this is about that you can come home now Sean. Everything will be fine."**

" **This wasn't how we wanted to tell you kiddo, but me and Nanc…"** _Donnie stopped reading. "I think you need to read this one yourself Sean."_

" _Why?"_

" _Just read it."_

" _They want to adopt me" Sean whispered stunned._

" _See, I knew they miss you."_

" _But what about Dylan? He is 17."_

" _I don't think 17 is too old Sean."_

" _But what if it is?! I can't get parted from him again."_

" _Trust them Sean. You need to go home and talk to them." Donnie said quietly._

" _Not yet. I need to think this through."_

" _Okay, but remember my window is always open for you."_

" _Thanks."_

 _It had been surprisingly easy for Sean to stay hidden. King and Chris had given Donnie a ride home and at least planned to take Nate out for lunch. Sean assumed they had done so since he had had surprisingly much time on his hands before King returned. At first he had been grateful for the opportunity to stretch his legs and take a look around King's house, but his thoughts soon went to the backyard and how inviting it looked. Sean longed for fresh air after days inside and a chance to run off some energy. To keep himself from going outside, he ventured into the kitchen._

" _Okay Sean, what sounds like a good idea for lunch?" He asked himself to fill the quietness. Scanning the pantry Sean found bread and peanut butter. Not the perfect lunch as far as he was concerned, but it would go undetected. While debating with himself wether to eat downstairs or head back nto hiding Sean suddenly heard a car turn into the driveway. Grabbing the plate with his sandwich and the glass of water he planned to drink, Sean ran upstairs as fast as he could. Donnie had intentionally shut the door to his room when he left so Sean was able to breath as soon as he made it over the threshold. Putting down the plate and glass to be able to close the door, Sean paused as he heard the front door open and King and Chris enter._

" _I just don't understand why he ran." Chris said._

" _Dylan thinks it's because of what was going on between us and their fight, but I'm not so sure."_

" _Yeah I think Dylan is wrong for once."_

" _Who would ever have believed that the two of us could have a semi-casual conversation about Dylan?!"_

" _Not me at least. I can't get over Sean though. There is no trace of him and it worries me, King, it really does."_

" _We both know what usually happens when a person simply disappears." King agreed grimly. "The odds aren't in our favour."_

" _We've done everything we can think of doing, there has to be something we have missed"_

" _The most logical thing would have been if Sean would have hid at a friend's place but we turned Logan's house upside down and Donnie has been with us. Dylan was sure that he wouldn't go to anybody else. I'm calling Jethro, maybe he can provide some ideas from Washington or even fly out."_

" _I'll text James. I want to talk to Donnie again when he is done."_

" _Do you think he has been lying to us?"_

" _In this case I hope so." Feeling like he had heard enough, Sean closed the door quietly. Feeling emotional, he sank down onto the floor and accidentally knocked over the plate he had left next to the door. It in turn crashed into the glass with an all too loud sound in at least Sean's ears. Waiting for the inevitable steps Sean was surprised to hear the front door close and two car doors slam shut. A moment later the sound of a car driving away was heard and Sean let out a big sigh of relief._

" _Thank God."_

 _Looking around though he saw that his peanut butter sandwich had flown of the plate and landed wrong side up. Water was everywhere and the glass had rolled across the floor. Deciding the best course of action would be getting some paper towels from the kitchen to clean up the mess, Sean headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where he came face to face with Christopher Lasalle's gun._

" _Sean." The relief in Chris's voice was noticeable and he quickly put down the gun and brought the teen into a brief hug._

" _Hi Chris."_

 _-Flashback ending-_

"Care to explain?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not what it looks like?"

"No? Because it looks like our runaway has become quite comfortable here." Sean shrugged. "Sit down kiddo." Chris patted the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Once Sean was seated Chris sat down across from him looking at the teenager intently. "Why?"

"They are moving to Florida." Sean whispered after a short moment of silence.

"Who is?"

"Evan and Nancy. It's happening in two weeks."

"I haven't heard about that." Chris said kindly. "And I don't believe they would move without you."

"Evan got a new job. It sounded like a great opportunity."

"Say that it's true- and I still think you have the facts wrong-what would running away accomplish?"

"I couldn't stand getting separated from Dyl again so I thought that if I ran away I could meet up with Dyl someplace where nobody knew us. Get a job, start a new life."

"Hate to break it to you, but we wouldn't have stopped looking and sooner or later we would have found you. And Sean, neither would Nancy or Evan. They really care for you. And speaking off I need to call your foster parents."

"But…"

"They are worried crazy, Sean. They need to know."

"I can't loose Dylan."

"Who do you trust most besides Dylan?"

"Evan and Nancy." The answer came in a heartbeat and caused Chris to smile.

"Then trust them."

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"Are you okay? You seem kind of quiet." Donnie shrugged as answer to his Dad's question.

"Is there something on your mind besides Sean?"

"Maybe."

"Donnie-Boy. You know you have a tendency of blowing things out of proportion in your mind. I bet it won't be as bad as you think."

"How come your always so nice about things?"

"Am I too nice according to you?"

"No! It's just…how come you never lose your temper?"

"I have been known to more than once, especially in my youth, but I try my hardest to always keep cool around my family."

"It's not just us you are nice to."

"Well thankyou kiddo. I guess I try to keep in mind that everybody has a story. It helps keep my temper in check. Just like I try to remember that you always have a reason in that mind of yours. It might not always be a reason we agree on being a good one, but it's still a reason to you. It wouldn't help matters then if I started shouting. Knowing you, you'd close off and make it harder on all of us, especially yourself. And I love you too much to want you to do that to yourself."

"Thanks Dad."

"What brought this on?" Donnie hesitated for a short moment.

"AJ has been more open to sharing things about his past lately. He has told me some about his family life before Detective Daniels…his parents…they weren't like you and Mom. And I could have guessed, there had to be a reason he was put into the system after all, but to hear him tell it from his point of view gave it a whole new sense of reality."

"Do you remember Gabriel Accardi?"

"AJ's brother? Yeah, a little bit."

"When King got your brother and I to look eye to eye again, Gabe and him became friends again."

"I didn't know that. I thought…"

"No, Gabe was ready to get out. A lot of the trouble King and Chris know Gabe by happened before they got placed into foster care. I know King and Chris have another view of him than I do, but son…to be honest Donnie-Boy I'm not certain how much to share with you. The main point is though that whenever AJ shares something from his past with you I want you to remember that there is a lot you don't know about. There is a lot AJ doesn't know about either, but that is beyond the point. What I'm trying to say is that Gabe is a good person with a rough past. You may get to meet him one day and when you do, I want you to treat him with respect."

"I will."

"Good boy. It must have been hard though to hear AJ's side of it."

"He hasn't really said much, mostly that he still gets surprised every time a grown-up keeps his temper."

"Some parent shouldn't have children. His I can say for sure shouldn't have, but what really matters is that Gabe and AJ are fine now and that their parents are stripped of their rights."

"How come you know so much?"

"Gabe and I have shared words a few times." Recognizing his Dad's statement for what it was-a closed door for now-Donnie drew a deep breath before blurting out:

"I was the brain behind a cheating ring at school."

"I know, Bud."

 **-Principals and Mentors-**

"Let's talk kiddo."

"Okay…"

"You have nothing to be scared off, we are only trying to understand, Seanie." Nancy said, concerned about the teens tense features.

"I can't move again!" Nancy and Evan exchanged a surprised glance at the outburst.

"We thought you'd be happy about it."

"How could I?! Leaving you and me and Dyl getting separated again…"

"Woah, whoa, kiddo. What are you talking about?"

"You! Moving to Florida!" Sean brushed away the tears running down his face angrily. "I trusted you."

"Where in the world did you get that idea from? Buddy, that's not even remotely true."

"But why adopt me then? And I heard you talk about it." Evan grabbed Sean gently by the arms and crunched down so he could look the distraught teenager straight in the eyes.

"First of all; we want to adopt you and your brother to make it official. We've told you a hundred times we couldn't imagine life without you so we wanted to make it official. Secondly; Nanc and I are traveling to Florida for an extended weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We aren't moving there."

"But you talked about moving and getting a new job."

"We, our whole family are moving closer to where Donnie lives. I got an offer of a better payed job and accepted it. We thought you'd be happy about living closer to your best friend."

"Really?! We are moving there?! We all are?!"

"It will take some time to sell this place but we've already found what we think is the perfect house for us. It would only be a 10-minute bike ride to Donnie's and you'd be going to the same school as him. Your brother would be closer to his work as well."

"When are we moving?" Evan laughed at the excitement and gave him a brief hug. I'm happy you like the sound of it now."

"It will also be close enough for you to ride your bike to NCIS to visit Chris and King every now and then." Nancy supplied.

"Even better." Sean gave her a hard hug as well. "Thank you."

"I wish you would have trusted us enough to come talk to us about your fears Buddy. We would never leave you guys behind or split you up."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Running away is never the answer though, no matter what."

"All my fears are gone. I don't have anything to run from anymore."

"As good as it is to hear that we still would like a promise from you to never do it again. My heart can't take losing you, Buddy."

"I'll never run away again. I promise."

"Thankyou."

"Where is Dylan?"

"On his way home. He was out looking for you."

"Is there a punishment for taking off like I did and worrying you guys?" Sean asked tentatively.

"A two weeks grounding so we'll have a lot of time to talk. Besides, I don't think I'm ready to let you out of my sight for quite a while." Nancy drew Sean close to her side and dropped a kiss to his head, thanking the stars that their youngest was back home safe and sound.

 **A/N: Any thoughts on what James knows about Gabe that Donnie and AJ don't? The idea hit me suddenly and I'm quite happy with the way this is turning out… As always, if you liked it please review, it helps my confidence a lot and is overall greatly appreciated!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! If anybody has any ideas of any kind, please let me know!**

"Where is he?!" Dylan stormed into the house at full speed.

"In the family room." Nancy called out from said room, giving the red headed teenager she was hugging a push in Dylan's direction as soon as he came into sight. Dylan paused for a moment, just taking in the sight of his brother safe and sound before gathering the younger teen in a close hug and inhaling the familiar scent of his brother.

"You scared years of me you little brat."

"Really Dylan, name calling?" Nancy chided at the same time as Sean whispered: "I'm sorry"

"We'll talk as soon as I can bear let you go." Dylan promised his brother while effectively ignoring Nancy.

"Dylan Christopher."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry Sean, I shouldn't have called you that."

"It's okay."

"Dylan." Turning his head in the direction of Evans voice he expected a disapproving look but was instead met with a serious face. "Can we trust you to keep your brother in one piece if we go into the kitchen to order us some takeout?"

"Italian?" Sean asked hopefully.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

"A sandwich."

"Sean." Nancy reacted with a slight scolding tone. "Italian it is then. Double for Sean."

"Thanks."

"Would you like your usual?"

"Yes please"

"Dylan?"

"Spaghetti Carbonara, please"

"And you'll keep Sean unharmed?"

"Yes sir." As soon as the grown ups were out of the room Dylan turned back towards his brother. "What were you thinking?!"

"Don't be mad Dyl." Sean pleaded.

"Just tell me Sean."

"I overheard Evan and Nancy talking about a week ago."

"What did they say?" Dylan asked, in his head running through all the possibilities that could have made his brother so upset that he ran off.

"They were talking about moving and Florida."

"Moving and Florida or moving to Florida?"

"The first. But I thought they were moving to Florida. You know the rules Dyl, they couldn't take us with them if they did."

"So you thought running away without telling me would be the best solution?!"

"I was going to tell you once I was settled somewhere"

"Should I thank you for that?!"

"I couldn't bear getting ripped away from you again. That's the biggest reason I ran."

"Oh Seanie." His brother's words doing wonders to his temper, Dylan reached out to massage the back of his neck. "I wouldn't have let that happen."

"You couldn't have done anything though."

"I would have taken us both away, I would have found a way kiddo."

"I'm sorry for taking off Dyl."

"I forgive you, but promise to never do that again!"

"I won't."

"What did Evan and Nancy say?"

"I'm grounded for two weeks."

"That's lenient."

"I think they figured I'd been through enough, thinking they'd throw us out."

"They wouldn't kid."

"Have they told yet?"

"Told me what?"

"That we are moving."

"I thought you said…"

"We all are, the whole family."

"Where?"

"Close to Donnie, King and Chris. Think about it, Nate, I'll get to see Donnie whenever I want to and…" Sean trailed off.

"It's okay Sean. I know you want to see Chris and King as well, it's okay with me, it truly is."

"You really made up?"

"Yes, buddy, we did. That reminds me, where were you this whole time?"

"At King's, I hid under Donnie's bed."

"At King's?! That's the last place I would have thought of."

"It wasn't easy sneaking around King and Nate, but they were out looking for me a lot, so that helped."

"How come you came back home?"

"Chris found me trying to make myself lunch."

"Chris?!" Dylan sputtered surprised. "Guess I have something to thank him for then."

"He really isn't so bad."

"I have started to realize that."

"Dyl…"

"Yes?"

"Have Nancy and Evan asked you anything special?"

"Should they have?"

"I think your brother is referring to a really special question. And no, Sean, we haven't asked him yet. It didn't feel like the right time when he was worrying over your whereabouts."

"What is everybody talking about?"

"Dylan" getting Dylan's eyes to meet his Evan continued: "The moment you and Sean entered our lives you filled a space in our hearts we didn't know was empty. I already told you we can't imagine life without you and that we are here for the long run, so how would you feel about me and Nancy adopting you?"

"Both of us? Really?"

"Yes Lion, really. And Sean already said yes."

"I'm lost for words…thankyou!" Dylan threw his arms around both grown ups and hugged them as tightly as he could.

"You are most welcome, bud." Nancy kissed the top of his head. "We love you Dylan. And you as well Sean." She continued, motioning for Sean to join them.

"We don't want to pressure you, kiddo. If you don't want to, you won't have to and you would still be able to stay with us."

"I want to." Dylan burrowed his face even closer to the older man's neck. "I really do."

"Our boys." Nancy mumbled with tears in her eyes. "I don't think I've ever been happier."

"Don't start crying Ma or I will start too!" Sean pleaded only to blush when he realized what he had said.

"If either of you ever want to call us some form of Mom and Dad we'd be honoured. It has to be on your own terms though. We'd never want to take your biological parents place in your hearts."

"Ma and Da, is that okay?" Sean asked hopefully.

"It's sounds perfect, son. I do have to wonder though if you've spent too much time with Logan since you chose Ma and Da."

"That's definitely Logi-Bears fault." Dylan laughed. "But I like the sound of it too. I might not be able to use it all the time, but I'm happy I have the choice to do so."

 **A/N: I know this is a far shorter chapter than what I usually try to post, but after writing this I felt they needed their own chapter. The rest of the story will continue in the next chapter.**


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